BURSTSen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) commented on his upcoming meeting with Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during a Thursday CNN appearance where he questioned how the interaction could raise controversy.
“I suspect there's some things we might agree on in terms of military, whether it's China or Israel, and maybe disagree some perhaps on the Ukraine,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju.
“But I think it's an opportunity to have a conversation. I don't really, I'm not sure why it would be controversial to anybody if he's the individual who could potentially be the next Secretary of Defense,” he added.
Since President-elect Trump's victory, the the senator has called for him to be pardoned and has openly supported some of his appointees including Elon Musk and others.
“I mean, I'm not just the Senator for Pennsylvania for my voters or Democrats, it's for all of us,” he said in the interview.
“And now we have received a lot of support, calls into our office saying, hey, you know, we will have a conversation," Fetterman added. "So I'm just doing my job. I see that.”
Fetterman did note that he would press Hegseth on sexual assault and excessive drinking allegations in the private conversation. However, he acknowledged the FBI vetting and committee hearings still needed to take place.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has faced criticism after he made comments in November claiming women should be banned from combat. He later backtracked on those comments, declaring women some of the “greatest warriors” in a Fox News interview.
He has also said he strongly opposes “wokeness” and other efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the armed forces.
“All I am saying is that Democrats or other people can freak out over anyone that was nominated. And I am not that guy,” Fetterman said.
“And I'm open to have a conversation for whoever that's, I mean, especially really important ones.”