Are Pete Hegseth’s advisers using his history with women and alcohol as leverage?

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to U.S. senators during his 2025 confirmation process that he would not consume alcohol. But according to two podcasters citing former Pentagon officials, Hegseth’s drinking may have continued. That raises questions about whether two advisers used that information to pressure him.NEWSGIRLS podcasters Wren Woodson and Mabel Kabani reported that five former senior Pentagon officials said two people close to Hegseth may have used his drinking habits and history with women as leverage to influence military decisions.The journalists noted that, as ABC News reported, Hegseth promised Republican senators during the confirmation process that he would not drink on the job. According to the podcasters, their sources questioned whether Ricky Buria and Tim Parlatore, advisers to Hegseth, may be using knowledge of his drinking and relationships with women to influence administration decisions.Related: Judge in trans military ban case demands Pentagon explain Hegseth’s testosterone double standard“The sources were asking these questions too,” Woodson said. She questioned whether Buria and Parlatore were calling the shots because they possessed information about Hegseth’s drinking or relationships with women, and whether that potential leverage posed a national security threat.Concerns about Hegseth’s alcohol use surfaced during his confirmation. NBC News reported that at the time, 10 current and former Fox News employees described concerns about his drinking, including accounts that he arrived at work smelling of alcohol. Hegseth disputed having a drinking problem. “I’ve never had a drinking problem,” he told Megyn Kelly in December 2024, while pledging to abstain if confirmed, according to Reuters.Earlier allegations concerned his leadership of Concerned Veterans for America. The New Yorker reported in December 2024 that a whistleblower report described repeated intoxication at the organization’s events, including occasion