Trump’s defense pick Pete Hegseth faces deepening scrutiny in Senate

US President-elect Donald Trump's controversial nomination of TV host Pete Hegseth to run the Defense Department was teetering Wednesday as Republican senators raised questions over his fitness for the powerful role.

Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Fox News weekend presenter, is under intense pressure over a series of misconduct allegations, including accusations of alcohol abuse and a sexual assault claim from 2017, over which no charges were filed.

Hegseth denies all wrongdoing but the controversy has left Trump's transition officials scrambling to avoid the embarrassment of a second Cabinet nomination collapsing amid dwindling support from Republicans in Congress.