Farah Griffin: Gaetz withdrawal will increase Hegseth scrutiny

Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House official under then-President Trump, said Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal as an attorney general nominee would only lead to further criticism about Pete Hegseth’s appointment to lead the Department of Defense. 

“I think now that Matt Gaetz is out of the running, all of the Senate ties are focused on this gentleman,” Farah Griffin said during a Thursday appearance on "The Lead with Jake Tapper" on CNN.

She mentioned that Trump has a “genuine affection” for the former Fox News host but added that he’s “deeply unqualified” for the role.

“This is his hand-picked choice, but the sexual allegations aside, he's deeply unqualified for this role. And Republican senators, especially those on Senate Armed Services in the Intel committees, take on the national security post extremely seriously,” she continued. 

In the role, Hegseth would manage troops based in 160 countries while overseeing a trillion-dollar budget in addition to helping the president determine when to deploy U.S. military assets. 

“I think the questions around his qualifications to be secretary of Defense are really going to be front and center with Gaetz kind of out of the line late now and hence that's got a real uphill battle to confirmation,” Farah Griffin stated.

While some have remained optimistic about the nomination, other GOP leaders have questioned Hegseth’s ability to act ethically after police reports revealed details stemming from sexual assault allegations against him. 

“It's a pretty big problem given that we have a sexual assault problem in our military. A number of us, and certainly the champions being [Sens.] Kirsten Gillibrand [D-N.Y.] and Joni Ernst [R-Iowa], but I've been on board with them and supported the legislation to deal with it since the chain of command was not,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said in comments aired by CNN. 

“I'm not going to prejudge them, but yeah, it's a pretty concerning accusation.”

Instead, Farah Griffin suggested that President-elect Trump pick a woman to lead the department.

“There's an elegant offer up here for Donald Trump to pick somebody beloved ... somebody who would be a historic choice to lead the Department of Defense, a woman who served in combat,” she stated.

Democrats said Hegseth’s appointment was “doomed” from the start.

“I think this nomination is doomed. It should have never been made; it was never vetted,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters in the Capitol.