Drip Drip Drip: New Reporting Reveals Pete Hegseth's Drunken Behavior, Financial Mismanagement

The Briefing with Jen Psaki

NBC News

News, Politics

4.5 • 664 Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2024

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jen Psaki explains why the news of President Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter should not distract you from the people who pose actual threats to our country's national security - like Donald Trump's top cabinet picks. Among them, Pete Hegseth was the subject of a jaw-dropping exposé in the New Yorker, revealing that he was often intoxicated on the job in his early career. Gregg Nunziata and Noah Bookbinder join Jen to discuss the importance of thorough FBI background checks in the confirmation process, from their experience as counsels to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Next, Senator Alex Padilla joins the show to discuss his concerns about Trump's picks for top administration roles and the importance of "restoring norms" to protect our democracy. Jen is also joined by Former Romney Campaign Advisor Kevin Madden and NBC Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitali to discuss what behind-the-scenes considerations might look like on Capitol Hill as Trump's cabinet picks meet with Senators. Later, following Trump's nomination of Charles Kushner to serve as Ambassador to France, Jen breaks down Kushner's "loathsome" criminal history and why it should be disqualifying. Finally, Jen is joined by Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin to discuss why he decided to join the race for DNC chair.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay. As you probably know by now, President Biden pardoned his son Hunter last night. And if you recall the president saying repeatedly over the last few months that he would not pardon his own son for months he's been saying that.
0:21.1	You'd be correct.
0:22.5	It was a commitment that was widely applauded for good reason, including by me.
0:27.2	And last night, Joe Biden reversed course on that commitment.
0:30.8	And if you're wondering whether that is good politics, if you're wondering if this is
0:35.1	great for his legacy, as someone who has consistently stood
0:38.1	for principle over personal needs, who even kept the guy on in Delaware who was appointed by Trump,
0:45.8	who was going to keep investigating his son, it's not good politics. And yes, Hunter Biden has done
0:51.1	some stupid things. And yes, Hunter Biden has done some illegal things.
0:56.0	He should not have lied about his drug use when filling out paperwork to register for a handgun.
1:00.0	We all knew about his recovery from an addiction. He wrote an entire book about it.
1:05.7	And of course, he should have paid his taxes in full and on time as everyone should.
1:10.1	My bet is Joe Biden knows that too.
1:12.5	But he made his decision not as a politician.
1:15.1	He made it as a dad.
1:16.7	And by the way, his son is a private citizen.
1:18.9	He's not a threat to our intelligence gathering,
1:20.8	to our national intelligence,
1:21.9	or to our law enforcement institutions.
1:24.1	Joe Biden is going to be a private citizen in 50 days too.
1:27.3	So tonight and moving forward, we're going to spend most of our time talking about the people who are and who may be.
1:34.4	People like Cash Patel, who Trump tapped this weekend to lead the FBI.
	...

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