President-elect\u00a0Donald Trump\u2019s\u00a0transition team has reportedly been drafting a list of alternative nominees for Defense Secretary in case Trump rethinks his choice of,\u00a0Fox & Friends<\/em>\u00a0Weekend<\/em>\u00a0co-host\u00a0Pete Hegseth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Vanity Fair<\/em>, which spoke<\/a> to two unnamed Republican sources \u201cclose to Trump,\u201d the president-elect\u2019s transition team has been \u201cquietly preparing a list of alternative defense secretary candidates should Trump abandon Hegseth,\u201d following news of a 2017 sexual assault allegation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s becoming a real possibility,\u201d claimed one of the sources. The other source said, \u201cPeople are upset about the distraction. The general feeling is Pete hasn\u2019t been honest.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Shortly after Trump announced his decision to nominate Hegseth for secretary of defense this month, the Trump transition team was informed<\/a> about a 2020 payment Hegseth reportedly made to a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her at a hotel and spa in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a statement, Hegseth\u2019s lawyer\u00a0Timothy Parlatore\u00a0insisted, \u201cMr. Hegseth is completely innocent. Not only did she take advantage of him, but we believe she then extorted him knowing that at the height of the #MeToo movement the mere public allegation would likely result in his immediate termination from Fox News.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The New York Times<\/em> reported<\/a> last week that Trump had \u201cnot moved off supporting Mr. Hegseth, despite claims that his team was reassessing the pick, according to several people close to the incoming president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hegseth\u2019s nomination\u00a0took Senate Republicans by surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked for his thoughts on the\u00a0nomination, Sen.\u00a0Tommy Tuberville\u00a0(R-AL) reportedly\u00a0remarked<\/a>, \u201cReally? I\u2019d have to think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n