Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's embattled pick for Defense secretary, faced growing scrutiny from Republican senators Tuesday after a new set of revelations over the weekend involving allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct in his past.

“I think some of these articles are very disturbing,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told CBS News. “He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is going to be difficult.”

Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who are among at least a half-dozen senators seen as being on the fence, remained noncommittal on Hegseth.

Collins told CNN the Senate needed “an FBI background check to evaluate the allegations, we need to have the normal committee process of questionnaires about his background and we also need to have a public hearing.”

Ernst said she would meet with Hegseth later this week to “see what he has to say” and “have a really frank and thorough conversation.”

NBC News reported Tuesday that at least six senators are "not comfortable" supporting Hegseth. But several senators defended him, including Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).

“Are soldiers sometimes wild childs? Yeah, that can happen, but it is very clear that this guy is the guy who, at a time when Americans were losing confidence in their own military, in our ability to project strength around the world, Pete Hegseth is the answer to that concern,” Lummis said, according........

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