Former Fox News host and Army combat veteran Pete Hegseth has been inundated by salacious allegations of sexual assault and drunkenness many have blamed on a “media witch hunt” after being nominated by Donald Trump to become secretary of defense, but he continues picking up support from the president-elect and key senators ahead of his confirmation hearing.

On Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to renew his faith in, and support for, Hegseth.

“Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe. He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” he wrote.

On the X platform, Vice President-elect JD Vance, a Marine combat vet, echoed Trump and added, “We’ve got his back.”

That includes Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt, who brushed aside the allegations during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday. Among other qualities, Schmitt said that Hegseth, a retired Army National Guard officer with multiple combat deployments, is exactly the kind of change agent needed to reform the Pentagon, which has yet to pass an audit.

“We also heard from Senator [Roger] Wicker [R-MS] that Hegseth said in their meeting that if he’s confirmed to the position, he will not drink. Do you have any concerns about these issues? And if there isn’t a problem, why need he can swear to sobriety?” Tapper asked.

“Well, you know, he’s made those affirmative comments and said something similar to me in our meeting. I think he’s trying to address these issues head-on as they’ve been swirling around. And I think you’ve started to see his mom was interviewed,” the Missouri Republican responded.

“I’ve not seen the entirety of that interview. I think speaking up for his character, but again, he’s been nominated. President Trump ran on a reform agenda, and Pete Hegseth, I do think he brings a reform-minded agenda to the Pentagon,” Schmitt continued. “We’re in desperate need of that. This is not a partisan issue. We’re in a real competition with China.

“We will be judged on who wins that in this next in the century that we’re in right now. And I think, again, there’s a lot of reform that we need in the Pentagon. That’s why President Trump selected him,” he added. “I think he’s going to get wide deference on those on those picks, you know, including Pete Hegseth. But look, this is what this process is all about. We’re here for another couple of weeks.

“Then we come back and these confirmation hearings will begin in earnest in public view. That’s all part of the process. And I think he’s, again, addressing it head-on in a meeting with senators one-on-one, which is what he should do,” Schmitt added.