NewsNation Host — Who Worked at Fox With Pete Hegseth — Pushes Trump Ally Hard About Hegseth ‘Cheating on His Wife’

NewsNation anchor Leland Vittert — formerly of Fox News — grilled Trump ally Mike Davis on Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s personal scandals and “character” on Tuesday.

Hegseth’s nomination seemed like it was in dire straits after several bombshell revelations, but the path has cleared since then, despite intense grilling by Democrats at the Senate Armed Services Committee’s confirmation hearing Tuesday.

But it wasn’t a cakewalk, as Democrats grilled Hegseth on a number of issues, including personal scandals like a rape allegation, serial infidelity, and allegations of heavy drinking on the job.

On Tuesday night’s edition of NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert, Vittert — who once worked alongside Hegseth at Fox News — was not shy about drilling down on his ex-colleague’s “character” issues:

LELAND VITTERT: And I think this is an interesting concept because we’ve seen and I made the reference to 1998 meaningfully in the open because that was Monica Lewinsky. Right. And has the idea of character become a quaint notion in Washington?

MIKE DAVIS: Well, I do find it amusing that these Senate Democrats are going after someone for stepping out on their wives or or drinking too much.

I was a top Senate staffer. I, I don’t know if the Democrats want to go down that path because the Article Three project can certainly take evidence at Articlethreeproject.org. If anyone has seen one of these Senate Democrats drinking too much or stepping out on their wives, if they want to, if they want to make that the standard for public office, I will gladly go there.

LELAND VITTERT: I think the tweet, right, the tweet is “If you have evidence a Senate Democrat drinks too much or steps out on their spouse, please contact out @Articlethreeproject.”.

And if if anyone who were to see those events happening got in touch, your Twitter inbox would be overwhelmed. RIP your mentions in that case?

But I ask this meaningfully. There is a difference between being a United States senator is important is that job is and being a guy inside the snap count to launch nuclear weapons. That is the secretary of defense’s most sacred job.

And does it doesn’t at some point it become incumbent upon Republicans if they want to talk about character, as Republicans have in the past, to hold themselves not to the standard of Senate Democrats, but a higher standard?

MIKE DAVIS: Look, I think that qualified nominees can be disqualified because of their character and fitness, but it’s not going to be with Mazie Hirono standing–

LELAND VITTERT: I hate to to go there. But but, Mike, then if cheating on your wife multiple times and having women having children out of wedlock with other women while you’re married isn’t disqualifying, I’m–.

Just to be clear, what would be disqualifying in your mind? What what would the Article Three Project say? Look, we’re not going to threaten to primary Republican senators over not voting for a nominee because of their personal behavior. The personal behavior is X.

MIKE DAVIS: Look, it’s the presence, character, and fitness to serve. If a nominee actually raped a woman five years ago, they are disqualified from office. But, you–.

LELAND VITTERT: Even if Donald Trump said, I want this person, that would be disqualifying to you.

MIKE DAVIS: Yes, absolutely. So do they have the presence, character and fitness to serve? And we got rid of the MeToo presumption of guilt with the Kavanaugh confirmation. We have the American presumption of innocence and of people want to say a qualified nominee is disqualified, come forward with clear and convincing public testimony and other evidence. Otherwise shut up.

Watch above via NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert.