Are Pete Hegseth’s advisers using his history with women and alcohol as leverage?

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to U.S. senators during his 2025 confirmation process that he would not consume alcohol. But according to two podcasters citing former Pentagon officials, Hegseth’s drinking may have continued. That raises questions about whether two advisers used that information to pressure him.

NEWSGIRLS podcasters Wren Woodson and Mabel Kabani reported that five former senior Pentagon officials said two people close to Hegseth may have used his drinking habits and history with women as leverage to influence military decisions.

The journalists noted that, as ABC News reported, Hegseth promised Republican senators during the confirmation process that he would not drink on the job. According to the podcasters, their sources questioned whether Ricky Buria and Tim Parlatore, advisers to Hegseth, may be using knowledge of his drinking and relationships with women to influence administration decisions.

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“The sources were asking these questions too,” Woodson said. She questioned whether Buria and Parlatore were calling the shots because they possessed information about Hegseth’s drinking or relationships with women, and whether that potential leverage posed a national security threat.

Concerns about Hegseth’s alcohol use surfaced during his confirmation. NBC News reported that at the time, 10 current and former Fox News employees described concerns about his drinking, including accounts that he arrived at work smelling of alcohol. Hegseth disputed having a drinking problem. “I’ve never had a drinking problem,” he told Megyn Kelly in December 2024, while pledging to abstain if confirmed, according to Reuters.

Earlier allegations concerned his leadership of Concerned Veterans for America. The New Yorker reported in December 2024 that a whistleblower report described repeated intoxication at the organization’s events, including occasions when Hegseth allegedly needed help leaving. It also alleged that he had to be restrained from joining dancers onstage at a Louisiana strip club.

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Hegseth also faced scrutiny over a woman’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her while drinking after a 2017 Republican women’s event in Monterey, California. He denied wrongdoing and said the encounter was consensual. The Associated Press reported in January 2025 that he disclosed paying her $50,000 in a settlement. Prosecutors declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt; the investigation did not establish that the allegation was false. His attorney said the payment was meant to avert a lawsuit that could jeopardize his job at Fox News.

Woodson and Kabani recently appeared on out independent journalist Don Lemon’s show. Lemon said the reporting raised serious questions about Hegseth’s inner circle and whether two of his closest aides wielded more power over him than the public realized.

Kabani told Lemon that the two advisers could be using information about Hegseth to exert influence over him.

“It’s really concerning because not only do they have a lot of say when it comes to hirings and firings, but, like you said, military operations during wartime. These guys are not even equipped to be in the room during those discussions, but they might actually have a say in what happens because of what they know about Hegseth.”

Woodson quoted a source who said Parlatore, a former defense attorney for former mob members, described his influence with Hegseth as, “If baby wants 10 lemons, baby gets 10 lemons,” suggesting he always gets what he wants.

On her own podcast, Woodson suggested the advisers’ influence stems from Hegseth’s belief that his job depends on staying in President Donald Trump’s favor.

“Hegseth believes that his loyalty to Trump is what keeps him safe,” Woodson said.

Watch the interview with Don Lemon below.

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