In a Wall Street Journal opinion column on Wednesday, Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth put to rest the media-spread rumors that he would withdraw from the position he was named to — leading the U.S. Department of Defense. He said he would stay and fight for it and that Donald Trump encouraged him to fight on through the allegations being brought against him.
“I’ve been through a lot: combat tours, job changes, divorces and family challenges. (Yes, I love my mom very much, and she loves me.) I have always led with honesty, integrity and passion. Tragically, many veterans never find the purpose for their next chapter and succumb to the bottle, depression or, worst of all, suicide. I understand what they are facing—because I’ve lived it. But by the grace of God, I took another path. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has renewed and restored my life. I am saved by his grace,” Hegseth wrote in the newspaper.
“The press is peddling anonymous story after anonymous story, all meant to smear me and tear me down. It’s a textbook manufactured media takedown. They provide no evidence, no names, and they ignore the legions of people who speak on my behalf. They need to create a bogeyman, because they believe I threaten their institutional insanity. That is the only thing they are right about,” Hegseth wrote.
“Talk to those who served with me in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan or the National Guard. They support me, and I’m honored by that. I have never backed down from a fight and won’t back down from this one. I am grateful President-elect Trump chose me to lead the Defense Department, and I look forward to an honest confirmation hearing with our distinguished senators—not a show trial in the press,” he concluded in this op-ed that has been made available outside the Wall Street Journal’s paywall.
Trump on Wednesday named former Missouri Congressman Billy Long to serve as the next commissioner of what is arguably the most despised agency of the Deep State: The Internal Revenue Service. It’s one of several names he has announced in the past 24 hours to key posts, most of which will require the Senate’s confirmation.
“Billy brings 32 years of experience running his own businesses in Real Estate and, as one of the premier Auctioneers in the Country. He then served 12 years in Congress, because he felt it was important for his constituents to have a Representative who has signed the front of a check!”
Since leaving Congress, Long has worked as a business and tax advisor. While in office, he cosponsored Bill H.Res.1005: Honoring the life and legacy of the late Congressman Don Young of Alaska.
Trump also announced that David A. Warrington will be the assistant to the president and counsel to the president, leading the Office of White House Counsel and serving as the top attorney for the White House. Warrington is Trump’s personal attorney and is a partner at the Dhillon Law Group. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he is a former president of the Republican National Lawyers Association and a graduate of Georgetown University School of Law.
Trump named Monica Crowley to serve as ambassador, assistant secretary of State, and chief of protocol. Crowley, like Hegseth did in 2016, has visited Alaska as a guest speaker of the Alaska Republican Party in years past.
“Monica will be the Administration Representative for major U.S. hosted events, including America’s 250th Birthday in 2026, the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028,” Trump said. During his first term, Crowley was assistant secretary of the Treasury for public affairs.
Gail Slater was nominated to be assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice.
“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech! I was proud to fight these abuses in my First Term, and our Department of Justice’s antitrust team will continue that work under Gail’s leadership,” Trump said. Slater served in the first Trump Administration on his National Economic Counsel. Recently, she worked in the Senate office of Vice President-elect JD Vance.
Trump has picked Paul Atkins to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. Atkins, a crypto-currency expert, was a former commissioner at the SEC. SEC Chair Gary Gensler announced last month that he will step down when Trump becomes president on Jan. 20.
Former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia is Trump’s pick to run the Small Business Administration.
Former White House adviser Peter Navarro, who just finished serving a prison sentence over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 disruption at the U.S. Capitol, will come back as a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, which “leverages Peter’s broad range of White House experience, while harnessing his extensive Policy analytic and Media skills,” Trump wrote.
