Rahm Emanuel Fires Back at Morning Joe Host’s Correction After Branding Pete Hegseth An ‘Alcoholic’

Former Biden administration ambassador Rahm Emanuel fired back to double down on branding President Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth an “alcoholic” in a tense moment after Morning Joe host Jonathan Lemire politely noted the nominee’s denial.

A sharply divided Senate took a key step Thursday toward confirming Hegseth amid a whirlwind of allegations related to past sexual misconduct and public intoxication—including new claims from a former sister-in-law. However, in a 51-49 vote that largely followed party lines, Republicans successfully broke a Democratic filibuster and paved the way for a final confirmation vote anticipated on Friday evening.

Discussing the nomination in an appearance on MSNBC Friday, Emanuel tore into Hegseth while discussing which of Trump’s picks the Democrats should fight hardest to oppose:

I don’t think you have to fight every one of them. But where you have clear stands, like, I think the idea of the Secretary of Defense, an alcoholic and a person with drinking problems and other types of character and judgment issues should be nowhere close to advising the president on nuclear issues. You got 12 nuclear aircraft carriers, 30-plus nuclear submarines. This person clearly is not qualified to be in the Situation Room and advise —

Lemire quickly jumped in to push back, reminding viewers that Hegseth has denied claims of alcoholism and even pledged to quit drinking if confirmed.

“We should note he, of course, has denied the allegations,” Lemire stated.

Emanuel, however, who also served as former President Barack Obama’s White House chief, interjected in commitment to his claim and his point:

You know, the one thing here –– I don’t agree with Donald Trump; I admire the fact that he has never had a drink… But once you have a drinking problem, you always have a drinking problem and that job is not stress-free.

…you are two seats — the Secretary of Defense — down from the President of the United States. You have a million plus men and women under your command.

Aside from the drinking allegations, Emanuel added, Hegseth would be unable to handle the pressure of the role:

Given what he has shown when he was just running a small veterans operation, he couldn’t handle the stress… The stress of a Secretary of Defense is, in the Situation Room, live or die, boots on the ground or not. Nowhere, and every senator knows it.

Watch above via MSNBC.