Kinzinger: Hegseth pick as Trump Pentagon chief ‘weird’

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a vocal critic of President-elect Trump, said the choice of Pete Hegseth, an Army veteran and a Fox News host, to serve as Defense secretary was “weird,” adding that Trump chose him for his loyalty and because “he’s on Fox News.”

“Obviously, it’s weird, and there’s only one reason he’s doing it, because he’s on Fox News,” Kinzinger told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night.

But Kinzinger praised Hegseth, who served as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and did tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, for his policy savvy.

“He actually is very smart when it comes to things like defense policy,” Kinzinger said.

But Kinzinger then wondered how Hegseth would perform as Pentagon chief.

“But the question is, what kind of Pete Hegseth is going to show up? That one or is it going to be the Pete Hegseth that’s on Fox News that just tries to be loyal to Donald Trump? And that’s why he was picked, because of his loyalty,” Kinzinger said.

When asked what running the Department of Defense entails, Kinzinger pointed to the enormity of it.

“I mean, it’s massively difficult, especially for somebody that really doesn’t have experience in running an organization like that,” Kinzinger said, later adding that “you better know what you’re doing because otherwise you’re gonna get swallowed up in that bureaucracy.”

The Hill has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.