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U.S. Senator Josh Hawley appeared to muddy the waters for Donald Trump's embattled Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, telling reporters that the Fox News co-host facing numerous allegations including possible sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse, has canceled his scheduled interview with the Missouri GOP lawmaker. Senator Hawley also repeatedly suggested he isn't sure at this point what the President-elect's intentions with Hegseth are anymore.

Speaking about Hegseth, Hawley told reporters Wednesday, "I don't know where things stand at the moment," "I was supposed to sit down with him tomorrow, but they canceled that meeting," "it's not 100% clear who [Trump] really wants as Secretary of Defense right now," and, "I don't know what the case is at this point."

Democrats went on the offensive Wednesday night during a discussion on CNN about whether President Joe Biden ought to preemptively issue pardons to possible targets of President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to seek retribution once he takes office.

When anchor Abby Phillip asked whether it would be a good idea for Biden to issue pre-emptive pardons, Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha gave a full-throated endorsement.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared to sing a different tune when asked his thoughts on President-elect Donald Trump’s troubled pick to lead the Department of Defense on Wednesday.

Graham came to Pete Hegseth’s defense a day after calling allegations against the nominee “disturbing,” but stopped short of predicting he would breeze by the Senate confirmation process as questions surrounding his past treatment of women and alcohol abuse come into focus.

The end could be near for Donald Trump’s controversial selection of Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, according to a top New York Times reporter.

In an interview on Wednesday, Times reporter Maggie Haberman said the likelihood of Hegseth remaining as Trump’s choice for Pentagon head is a mixed bag at this point. And the president-elect isn’t thrilled with the negative headlines, she added.

Shocking video of the moment UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was gunned down on a New York City sidewalk offered new clues into the suspect still at large for the brazen Wednesday morning assassination.

Former FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe said the suspect’s calmness during what appeared to be a calculated killing leads him to believe the trigger wasn’t pulled by a novice and could “possibly even [be] a professional.”

President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Kash Patel, a former House GOP staffer and longtime MAGA loyalist, to serve as FBI director, means the nation's top law enforcement agency will be in the hands of an avowed conspiracy theorist, warned MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Wednesday.

And he brought the sound clips to prove it.

President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense is on life support amid allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse, backed up by police reports and the testimony of colleagues. But Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) told CNN's Jake Tapper he's still all in on the nomination, demanding Hegseth's accusers come forward and talk to the media if they're so truthful.

But then, as soon as it was pointed out to him that one of the most significant accusers was given a hush payment, he flatly refused to support overturning that agreement.

Fox News personality Pete Hegseth's attorney Tim Parlatore defended him vigorously Wednesday in an interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, as Hegseth's nomination to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense appears on the ropes amid allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse.

"What happened is, you know, he was the head of this organization, they did a lot of great work," said Parlatore, who is also known for representing Trump during some of his legal battles.

An Iraq War veteran on Wednesday tore into President-elect Donald Trump’s selections to lead key military departments, including his nominee for U.S. Secretary of the Navy who comes to the table with no military experience.

Trump’s head-spinning approach of filling government positions with eyebrow-raising, non-traditional choices is part of a grander strategy, according to Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

CNN's Jake Tapper cornered Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) on Wednesday, as Schmitt tried to defend Donald Trump's right to nominate Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, despite allegations of sexual misconduct and drinking problem — which has led several Republican senators to waffle on whether they'll vote to confirm him, and Hegseth resorting to drastic measures to try to whip votes.

"Do you have any concerns about these issues?" Tapper asked.

An Iraq War veteran on Wednesday chided Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to run the Department of Defense, over his decision to have his mom defend him on Fox News.

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace opened her Wednesday show by expressing empathy for the horrors that Hegesth's family has faced as accusations against him continue to emerge.

Donald Trump and his transition team are firing a warning shot at Fox News personality Pete Hegseth and his troubled nomination for Secretary of Defense by allowing leaks that they are considering other people for the role, Biden White House communications strategist Meghan Hays told a CNN panel on Wednesday.

Hegseth appears not to have the votes among Senate Republicans for confirmation, amid the release of a police report into his alleged history of sexual assault, and colleagues coming forward to say he has a severe drinking problem. He has sat for an interview with Fox News to try to get all of these problems cleared up — but the Trump team is already floating replacing him with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.