Hegseth’s name has been submitted for FBI background check, attorney says

Pete Hegseth’s name has been submitted to the FBI for a background check, his attorney told CNN Thursday, as some lawmakers call for more vetting of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon.

Pete Hegseth’s name has been submitted to the FBI for a background check, his attorney told CNN Thursday, as some lawmakers call for more vetting of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon. “He received the forms yesterday from the FBI, and we’re working on them right now,” attorney Timothy Parlatore told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source,” when asked whether Trump has submitted his name to the FBI. Hegseth, a military veteran and former television anchor tapped to serve as defense secretary, concluded his first week of meetings on Capitol Hill earlier Thursday as he seeks to shore up support with key senators who will vote on his confirmation. As some continue to hold out support amid a series of allegations related to drinking and sexual misconduct that have emerged since he was chosen for the role, Hegseth has denied the allegations and remained defiant. The president-elect’s transition team earlier this week paved the way for it to seek the background checks, announcing that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Justice Department. “I am expecting that the background check is going to take a lot of the false stories that have been circulated in the media and it’s going to put them completely to bed,” Parlatore said. After meeting with Hegseth on Wednesday, incoming Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker said he remained undecided on whether he would support Hegseth’s nomination but added that he was “looking to be supportive.”