An FBI background check for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, was transmitted late Friday to the leading members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the report, just days ahead of his Tuesday confirmation hearing.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the panel’s chairman, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member, are the only senators who have the report, the two sources said.
The 25-member committee does not necessarily need to review Hegseth’s background check to proceed with the nomination hearing, but two committee sources familiar with the process said it was “unprecedented” that the report took this long to get to the panel’s top members.
Democrats on the committee that NBC News spoke with have been frustrated by the delay, and suggest the FBI report may not be thorough, particularly for a Cabinet pick that has been entangled in controversy. One person who worked closely with Hegseth in the past and another who was contacted by Congress regarding Hegseth told NBC News they are concerned the FBI has not reached out to them.
A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment.
Since Trump announced his intent to nominate Hegseth, the military veteran and former Fox News host has been mired in a slew of controversies and negative allegations. More here