Sen. Murkowski has ‘good exchange’ with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski met with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Tuesday in Washington D.C., calling it a “good exchange.”

Reporters spotted both Hegseth and Murkowski in the hallway where the pair were peppered with questions.

Hegseth called his meeting with Murkowski “excellent.”

“I appreciated her input a great deal,” Hegseth told reporters.

Murkowski also expressed optimism but stopped short of saying she’ll support him.

“I had a good exchange and we’ll see what the process bears,” Murkowski told reporters.

Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault — a charge that he has denied — and faces other allegations of alcohol abuse and mismanagement of nonprofits dedicated to veterans and previous statements that suggested he didn’t support women serving in the military, a comment he has since walked back.

In a podcast released in November, Hegseth said the military “should not have women in combat roles” and that “men in those positions are more capable.”

Hegseth told FOX host Sean Hannity on Monday that he plans to meet with Sens. Murkowski and Susan Collins, R-Maine, two Republicans who sometimes vote against their party.

Alaska’s News Source has requested an update from Murkowski’s press office.

Earlier this month, Sen. Dan Sullivan said he already talked to Hegseth and took the allegation against him seriously, saying he would do his due diligence.

“He’s going to have to address them. I recently read this report. I’m not going to get into it. I really don’t want to try this in the media. But you know, it’s a serious issue,” Sullivan said.

On Nov. 26, his office released an interview between Sullivan and FOX News that goes on to say the Department of Defense needs to get back to its core mission — “That’s lethality, that’s winning wars, that’s peace through strength.”

“So look, we need to get back to the mission of the Pentagon, which is to win our nation’s wars and to create the most lethal force in the world to deter war, and I think Pete Hegseth is very focused on that, and that is a refreshing change, a critical change that the American people want and we need in the Department of Defense,” Sullivan said.

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