Hegseth told Megyn Kelly in an interview that he “never had a drinking problem” and called reports concerning his drinking “anonymous nuggets” from “disgruntled people who were fired.”
“It’s a couple anonymous nuggets, usually from disgruntled people who are fired for cause, who are jealous or want a little bit of retribution,” Hegseth said, responding to the reporting about his drinking.
“I never had a drinking problem,” he added.
Hegseth also said that no one’s approached him and said, “‘Oh, you, you should really look at getting help for a drink.'”
“Never,” he said. “I’ve never sought counseling, never sought help. I respect and appreciate people who do.”
The former Fox News host also called himself “a very different person than I was 10 years ago, than I was 15 years ago.”
