Former colleagues of Pete Hegseth defended him from a news report claiming that his former coworkers were concerned about his drinking.

Pete Hegseth’s former colleagues at Fox News are rallying to his side. After disregarding a series of misconduct allegations against Hegseth for days on end, the right-wing network has shifted into a new posture: defense.

Hegseth suggested the damaging allegations against him are politically motivated. "The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents," he said.

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's pick to lead the defense department, told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday morning that the president-elect still stands behind him after the New York Times published a leaked email from his mother saying he abuses women and anonymous sources said he was drunk on the job while working at FOX News.

President-elect Trump is considering replacing Pete Hegseth with Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., for Defense Secretary, according to reports from the Bulwark and the Wall Street Journal. The Bulwarks Marc Caputo joins Morning Joe to discuss his reporting.

President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, is showing defiance amid misconduct allegations as support for his confirmation appeared to be in doubt. There are now several candidates under consideration to replace him as Trump's intended nominee.