{"id":2376199,"date":"2024-12-04T11:42:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T16:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fox-news-talent-shoot-down-nbc-news-hegseth-smears\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T11:45:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T16:45:00","slug":"fox-news-talent-shoot-down-nbc-news-hegseth-smears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fox-news-talent-shoot-down-nbc-news-hegseth-smears\/","title":{"rendered":"Fox News Talent Shoot Down NBC News&#8217; Hegseth Smears"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffox-news-talent-shoot-down-nbc-news-hegseth-smears%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2376199&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Recent reports \u200dhave sparked controversy surrounding Pete Hegseth, a \u200bformer Fox News host,\u200b as he \u2064considers a potential role as Secretary\u200c of Defense. NBC News published an \u2064article claiming that current and former Fox \u200dNews colleagues alleged\u200c Hegseth showed \u2063signs of a \u2064drinking problem while on air.\u200d The article \u200bcited anonymous sources, who expressed fear of retaliation, which has drawn criticism for\u2064 lacking openness \u200cand accountability.<\/p>\n<p>In response,many of Hegseth&#8217;s \u2064former colleagues and Fox News contributors publicly defended him and denounced the allegations \u200das unfounded. Will\u200b Cain, co-host of\u2063 &#8220;Fox and Friends Weekend,&#8221; \u200cvehemently rejected the claims, labeling them \u2062&#8221;bullsh-t&#8221; and\u2062 asserting that \u200che was never contacted by\u2062 NBC about these allegations. Rachel Campos-Duffy, another co-host, echoed Cain&#8217;s sentiments, challenging \u2062NBC to retract its story given the \u200clack of verified sources.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, other \u2064supporters, including \u2064Federalist Editor-in-Chief \u200cMollie Hemingway and Fox\u2063 News contributor Lisa Boothe, voiced their \u2063positive experiences with Hegseth, arguing that the anonymous claims do not align with their personal observations. this situation has triggered broader discussions\u200c about the role of legacy media in political discourse and the challenges of anonymous sourcing.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Current and former Fox News talent are calling bull on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-cant-hide-harris-role-in-botched-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" title=\"Dems Can&#039;t Hide Harris&#039; Role In Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal\">legacy media&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/authoritative-global-network-media-smear-campaign-neocon-nikki-evil-empires\/\" title=\"Authoritative Global Network, Media Smear Campaign, Neocon Nikki, Evil Empires\">latest smear campaign<\/a> to sink Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s bid to lead the Pentagon. <\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/nbc-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NBC News<\/a> dropped a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/pete-hegseths-drinking-worried-colleagues-fox-news-sources-tell-nbc-ne-rcna181471\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/theyre-coming-after-elon-because-he-committed-the-sin-of-allowing-us-to-speak\/\" title=\"Elon is targeted for enabling our freedom of speech.\">malicious hit piece<\/a><\/a> against the Army veteran and former &ldquo;Fox and Friends Weekend&rdquo; host, in which 10 allegedly former and current network employees supposedly claimed that Hegseth displayed signs of a drinking problem in the workplace. Curiously, none of the alleged anonymous sources referenced by authors Chloe Melas, Courtney Kube, and Sarah Fitzpatrick identified themselves, citing &ldquo;fear of retaliation.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>The left-wing outlet&rsquo;s trafficking of slanderous and unsubstantiated claims of wrongdoing by Hegseth bears a striking resemblance to the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2018\/09\/30\/media-sink-to-new-lows-in-their-anti-kavanaugh-smear-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">smear tactics<\/a> deployed by media hacktivists in their bid to defeat Brett Kavanaugh&rsquo;s 2018 Supreme Court nomination. Lacking any journalistic integrity, these so-called &ldquo;reporters&rdquo; ran with any and all claims laundered by the judge&rsquo;s accusers with virtually no pushback or skepticism. <\/p>\n<p>The publication of Tuesday&rsquo;s hit piece received immediate pushback from Hegseth&rsquo;s former Fox colleagues and network contributors and guests, who all shot down the allegations of unprofessional workplace conduct.<\/p>\n<p>On X, &ldquo;Fox and Friends Weekend&rdquo; co-host Will Cain <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/willcain\/status\/1864076222642139583\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> NBC&rsquo;s story, &ldquo;Bullsh-t. 100 percent bullsh-t. Actually &hellip; horsesh-t,&rdquo; and noted in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/willcain\/status\/1864097635444850925\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">follow-up post<\/a> that he &ldquo;was not contacted by anyone at @NBCNews&rdquo; regarding the allegations against Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Your story is horsesh-t @NBCNews. Put my name on it. On the record. It&rsquo;ll be your only on the record source,&rdquo; Cain <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/willcain\/status\/1864077559668850827\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a>. &ldquo;Signed, The guy who sat next to him for 8 hours every week for five years starting at 6am.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Fox and Friends Weekend&rdquo; co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy similarly <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RCamposDuffy\/status\/1864155602609447297\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confirmed<\/a> on X that &ldquo;the losers @NBCNews never reached out to [her] either,&rdquo; and pushed back on the story&rsquo;s allegations.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;@willcain is right &mdash; your story IS horsesh-t,&rdquo; she wrote. &ldquo;You now have 2 people who sat next to him 8+ hours a week on the record. Will you retract or correct your story?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/21\/the-police-report-about-pete-hegseths-alleged-sexual-assault-vindicates-him-of-criminality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Police Report About Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s Alleged Sexual Assault Vindicates Him Of Criminality<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Campos-Duffy&rsquo;s daughter and Fox News guest Evita Duffy-Alfonso also <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/evitaduffy_1\/status\/1864150195723788309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voiced<\/a> her support for Hegseth, writing on X, &ldquo;I stand with Pete and his beautiful family in the face of these smears.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Federalist Editor-in-Chief and Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MZHemingway\/status\/1864165397781479605\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> she has &ldquo;nothing but good things to say about Pete and the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">anonymously sourced stories don&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t match [her] personal experience in any way. Quite the contrary, in fact.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t stand the propaganda practice of using anonymous sources to smear political opponents, as NBC does here,&rdquo; Hemingway wrote on X. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I can&#8217;t stand the propaganda practice of using anonymous sources to smear political opponents, as NBC does here. FWIW, I have nothing but good things to say about Pete and the anonymously sourced stories don&#8217;t match my personal experience in any way. Quite the contrary, in fact. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/i2lPDbiAG2\">https:\/\/t.co\/i2lPDbiAG2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mollie (@MZHemingway) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MZHemingway\/status\/1864165397781479605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LisaMarieBoothe\/status\/1864134711720722942\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> she has &ldquo;guest co-hosted with [Hegseth] numerous times before,&rdquo; and that &ldquo;Not once did this happen. Not once [has she] heard this from others.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is such a disgusting and false smear. It is wrong and malicious,&rdquo; she wrote on X. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have routinely sat on the couch with @PeteHegseth for 8 years,&rdquo; wrote Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox contributor. &ldquo;Not once did I suspect he had consumed anything other than an egg sandwich and coffee before going on air.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I have routinely sat on the couch with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PeteHegseth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PeteHegseth<\/a> for 8 years. Not once did I suspect he had consumed anything other than an egg sandwich and coffee before going on air. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vjDQUpV9il\">pic.twitter.com\/vjDQUpV9il<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nicole Saphier, MD (@NBSaphierMD) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBSaphierMD\/status\/1864102154752987290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Radio host and frequent Fox News guest Dan Bongino <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dbongino\/status\/1864092429831287236\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> the allegations against Hegseth, &ldquo;100 [percent] HORSESH-T.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Fox News contributor and veteran Johnny Joey Jones <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Johnny_Joey\/status\/1864106489981415914\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> the hit pieces against the defense secretary nominee &ldquo;are getting laughable,&rdquo; and noted that he&rsquo;s &ldquo;disgusted by the smell of alcohol on someone&rsquo;s breath&rdquo; and has &ldquo;never EVER seen Pete drink like that, and have never smelled alcohol on his breath at work.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/18\/media-lie-about-pete-hegseths-christian-faith-to-falsely-smear-him-as-racist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Media Lie About Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s Christian Faith To Falsely Smear Him As Racist<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Former Fox News producer Breanna Morello <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BreannaMorello\/status\/1864102530835243437\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> she&rsquo;s &ldquo;never heard&rdquo; of the allegations against Hegseth &ldquo;in [her] life,&rdquo; noting how the alleged Fox employees cited in the NBC report &ldquo;are anonymous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Everyone spoke highly of him and still does til this day,&rdquo; Morello wrote on X. <\/p>\n<p>Former Fox producer and independent journalist Kyle Becker <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/kylenabecker\/status\/1864110549014913054\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">detailed<\/a> on X how he saw Hegseth &ldquo;numerous times while working at Fox News,&rdquo; and &ldquo;[n]ever got the impression he was ever drunk.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No bloodshot eyes. No slurred speech. No disheveled appearance. No wobbly gait. Nothing,&rdquo; Becker wrote. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m also calling bullsh-t.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Fox News contributors <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/guypbenson\/status\/1864150235691340017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Guy Benson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SaraCarterDC\/status\/1864155978091868568\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sara Carter<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/willcain\/status\/1864128420579340344\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">numerous<\/a> other network employees and guests have come out in defense of Hegseth against the unsubstantiated claims published by NBC News. <\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fox News talent reject NBC&#8217;s smear against Pete Hegseth<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2376200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Pete-Hegseth.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[32135,45173,32490,35465,46105],"class_list":["post-2376199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-fox-news","tag-hegseth","tag-media-bias","tag-nbc-news","tag-talent-response"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Pete-Hegseth.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2376199"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2376207,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376199\/revisions\/2376207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2376200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2376199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2376199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2376199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}