'Grow up': Hegseth-backer suggests nominee was immature 37-year-old

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) suggested on Wednesday that Donald Trump defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth was not an adult seven years ago — although the MAGA nominee was 37 years old.

Associated Press congressional reporter Farnoush Amiri wrote via X: "Asked Sen. Mullin if Hegseth gave members assurances following reports of excessive drinking: 'Listen, all of us, at least all of us, have a time to grow up. We’re nominating Pete for who he is today not for what he did seven years ago or five years ago or whatever it was.'"

Amiri then noted, "I followed up that not all of us are trying to become Secretary of Defense and he said: 'It doesn’t matter, we all have a period of time where you got to grow up. So it's what he can do today moving forward.'"

READ MORE: Pete Hegseth’s mom urges 'female senators' to ignore media reports and confirm him as SecDef

The New Yorker reported on Monday that Hegseth had a reputation for drinking on the job in a previous role.

A new report NBC News published on Wednesday noted that the right-wing host's Fox News co-workers say Hegseth "was known for showing up to work with alcohol on his breath and dealing with hangovers."

One source told NBC that the Trump pick "smelled like alcohol and talked about being hung over as recently as this fall."

While some Republican lawmakers — like Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) — are skeptical of confirming Hegseth, others, like Mullin and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) don't see a problem with the allegations.