Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is meeting with Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Democrats on Monday evening to discuss the confirmation hearing for controversial Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth — just hours before its set to take place. 

A Senate Democratic source confirmed the last-minute meeting to Fox News Digital. 

Schumer and other Democrats have made their opposition to the former Fox News host clear in the days leading up to the hearing, which is the first to take place of all President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees. 

The meeting, first reported by Axios, comes after the New York Democrat urged his fellow caucus members to grill Trump’s nominees in their upcoming hearings and force them to go on record about controversial Trump agenda items, per a Senate Democratic source. 

The source added that Democrats are planning to lay the groundwork to say that they warned about Trump’s Cabinet picks early on. 

In floor remarks on Monday, Schumer said, ‘Unfortunately, Mr. Hegseth’s background is deeply troubling, to put it generously. We have all read the reports about his radical views, his alleged excessive drinking, the allegations about sexual assault, and his failures in the financial stewardship of multiple organizations.’

Hegseth has denied all allegations, including those suggesting financial mismanagement, sexual assault and alcohol consumption. 

The Secretary of Defense nominee’s spokesperson did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Democrats on SASC include Ranking Member Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Angus King, I-Maine, Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.

Reed and Hegseth met last week for a notably brief discussion. Afterward, the SASC ranking member said in a statement, ‘Today’s meeting did not relieve my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers.’ 

‘As with any nominee for this critical position, Mr. Hegseth must undergo the same high-level of scrutiny as prior Secretary of Defense nominees,’ he added. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary, laying out a bevy of accusations and about 100 questions that she expects him to answer at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.  

Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, penned the 33-page letter last week to Hegseth. It describes why she thinks he is ‘unfit’ to serve, referring to him at one point in the letter as ‘an insider threat’ due to a tattoo Hegseth has that Warren claims is tied to ‘right-wing extremism.’ 

‘Your confirmation as Secretary of Defense would be detrimental to our national security and disrespect a diverse array of servicemembers who are willing to sacrifice for our country,’ Warren writes in the letter. ‘I am deeply concerned by the many ways in which your behavior and rhetoric indicates that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense.’

The letter starts off with accusations against Hegseth that include claims of financial mismanagement during his work operating two nonprofits, and accusations of heavy drinking and sexual assault. 

The Massachusetts Democrat accused Hegseth of ‘gross mismanagement’ in running up debt and using business funds at the nonprofits he ran for personal expenses. She cited past colleagues of Hegseth’s who claimed to be privy to what took place. Warren also claimed in her letter that some of Hegseth’s past colleagues had shared he may potentially have a drinking problem, citing ‘at least 11 separate incidents in which [Hegseth has] been described as drinking excessively or inappropriately in public.’ Warren asks in the letter if Hegseth would resign if he were to be caught drinking again.  

Warren also went after Hegseth’s policy positions in the letter, several of which were made during media appearances and in books. 

Warren slammed Hegseth for previous comments about women in the military, including remarks he made that only men should be allowed in combat roles. Warren questioned Hegseth about other aspects of women in the military as well, including whether he thinks single women in the military should have access to birth control.

Hegseth, an advocate for getting rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the military, was slammed by Warren in her letter for calling for the firing of ‘any general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI woke s–t,’ during a podcast interview in November. 

Warren added that in addition to potentially firing Defense Department officials promoting DEI, she also detailed fears about Hegseth’s willingness to help aid Trump in going after his political opponents. In one of Warren’s questions, she requested that Hegseth share his thoughts on the 2020 election and whether he believes Trump won, or lost fairly. 

At one point in the letter, Warren highlighted that Hegseth had been removed from President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 because of concerns he was ‘an insider threat’ following reports that his tattoo with the words ‘Deus Vult,’ was allegedly a ‘Christian expression associated with right-wing extremism.’

Other sections seek to harp on Hegseth’s alleged unwillingness to work with allies, including those within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which Warren suggested Hegseth will not adequately support considering his ‘skepticism’ over aiding Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Warren devoted an entire line of questioning to whether Hegseth will ‘undermine’ veterans’ benefits, and questioned what Hegseth might do to the Department of Defense Education Activity, the part of the agency that educates troops’ children.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Trump Transition spokesperson Bran Hughes said that Hegseth ‘looks forward to answering Senators’ questions and detailing his many qualifications at his hearing tomorrow.’

‘Senator Warren’s letter to Pete Hegseth is exactly what the American voters rejected on November 5,’ Hughes said. ‘Instead of focusing on ‘woke’ policies that have weakened our national defense, the voters gave a mandate to rebuild our military, and that’s exactly what a reform-minded Secretary of Defense like Pete Hegseth will do. Senator Warren’s letter proves why ideologically driven college professors have no place driving their social agenda at the Department of Defense.’

Efforts to reach Warren for comment for purposes of this story were unsuccessful. 

Special Counsel David Weiss blasted President Biden in his highly-anticipated report on his years-long investigation into Hunter Biden, saying the commander-in-chief’s characterizations of the probe into his son were ‘wrong’ and ‘unfairly’ maligned Justice Department officials, while admitting that the presidential pardon made it ‘inappropriate’ for him to discuss whether any additional charges against the first son were warranted. 

Fox News Digital obtained a copy of Weiss’s final report after his years-long investigation into Hunter Biden.

The Justice Department transmitted the report to Congress on Monday evening. 

Weiss, in his report, chided President Biden for his Dec. 1, 2024 decision to grant his son a ‘Full and Unconditional Pardon’ covering nearly eleven years of conduct, including conduct related to both convictions the special counsel obtained. 

Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony firearm offenses stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss’ investigation. The first son was also charged with federal tax crimes regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Before his trial, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea. 

The charges carried up to 17 years behind bars. His sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 16, but his father, President Biden, pardoned him on all charges in December. 

Weiss, in the report, blasted the president’s decision to pardon but also the press release that was sent out to the public that ‘criticized the prosecution of his son as ‘selective,’ ‘unfair,’ ‘infected’ by ‘raw politics,’ and a ‘miscarriage of justice.”

‘This statement is gratuitous and wrong,’ Weiss wrote in his report. ‘Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations.’ 

Weiss also pointed to a comment made by Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who said: ‘The Constitution provides the President with broad authority to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, U.S. Const. art. II, § 2, cl. 1, but nowhere does the Constitution give the President the authority to rewrite history.’ 

‘These prosecutions were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics,’ Weiss wrote in his report. ‘Eight judges across numerous courts have rejected claims that they were the result of selective or vindictive motives.’ 

Weiss added: ‘Calling those rulings into question and injecting partisanship into the independent administration of the law undermines the very foundation of what makes America’s justice system fair and equitable. It erodes public confidence in an institution that is essential to preserving the rule of law.’ 

In another section of the report, Weiss notes that, in light of the presidential pardon, he ‘cannot make any additional charging decisions’ and said it would be ‘inappropriate’ to discuss ‘whether additional charges are warranted.’ 

‘Politicians who attack the decisions of career prosecutors as politically motivated when they disagree with the outcome of a case undermine the public’s confidence in our criminal justice system,’ Weiss wrote. ‘The President’s statements unfairly impugn the integrity not only of Department of Justice personnel, but all of the public servants making these difficult decisions in good faith.’ 

Weiss added: ‘The President’s characterizations are incorrect based on the facts in this case, and, on a more fundamental level, they are wrong.’ 

The federal investigation into Hunter Biden began in November 2018. 

But it wasn’t until 2023 that whistleblowers from the IRS, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, brought allegations of politicization in the federal probe of Hunter Biden to Congress. 

The two alleged that political influence had infected prosecutorial decisions in the federal probe, which was led by Trump-appointed Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who they said had requested to become a special counsel. 

After Shapley and Ziegler testified publicly, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel to continue his investigation of the first son and, ultimately, bring federal charges against him in two separate jurisdictions — Delaware and California. 

Justice Department regulations require Weiss to transmit any final report to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has pledged to release as much as possible to the public. 

The Justice Department and Special Counsel Weiss’ office declined to comment. 

Meanwhile, President Biden’s pardon of his son came after months of vowing to the American people that he would not do so. 

But last month, the president announced a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden ‘has committed or may have committed’ from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. 

‘From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ Biden said. ‘There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.’

Biden added, ‘I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.’ 

Longtime Democrat fundraiser and Kamala Harris critic Lindy Li was named this month to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fundraising committee, an about-face that she says has been met with overwhelming support from donors, including from some longtime contributors to the Democratic Party vying to get a spot at the table.

Li’s appointment to the Trump fundraising committee was previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital. It comes just weeks after Li announced her decision to leave the Democratic Party last month, citing what she described as its broader culture of finger-pointing, vitriol and blame in the aftermath of the 2024 elections. 

Li herself endured a torrent of criticism and calls to exit the party after she criticized certain spending decisions made by Harris’s campaign, despite having raised millions on its behalf and donating several Philadelphia-area buildings to the campaign. She in turn voiced concerns about party leadership ‘permitting no dissent, no criticism’ and failing to learn from their wide losses in the House, Senate and presidential elections.

For Li, her departure from the DNC’s national fundraising committee has been an eye-opening one. She told Fox News in an interview this week that she was approved as a member of Trump’s inaugural fundraising committee just three days before many of the events reached capacity, forcing the committee to block access, if only for the near-term, in hopes of securing a bigger venue. 

When she told the donors that they were at capacity, she noted, some responded by doubling their offer in hopes of gaining access. 

‘The demand has just been unprecedented,’ Li said of the response from donors. ‘Honestly, Biden and Harris never had this issue. They never had to turn people away.’

Fox News Digital was told that donors offering as much as $1 million to the inaugural committee have been turned away due to space limitations, as first reported by the New York Times. Since then, the inaugural committee said they are working to find a bigger location for some of the events in order to meet the intense and growing demand.

To date, Trump’s inaugural committee has raised a record-shattering $170 million in donations, with proceeds used to fund both the inauguration weekend and longer-term projects, such as a presidential library.

For donors, their contribution earns them access to an inauguration weekend agenda of highly exclusive VIP events before the Inauguration Day ceremony, including intimate dinners, black-tie galas and sit-downs with Cabinet nominees. It’s an opportunity to make inroads and gain influence in an incoming administration. 

And ahead of Trump’s second term, many are shelling out big-time to do so. 

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are all among the tech executives who announced within the past month that they plan to donate at least $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.

For Li, a prominent fundraiser whose experience is largely rooted in the Democrat world, pivoting to raising money for Trump’s inauguration has been easier than expected. 

Li formerly served as a member of the DNC’s national fundraising committee, a membership that requires raising ‘millions of dollars’ on behalf of Democrat candidates.  

Still, she said, the inaugural committee donations and enthusiasm surrounding them feels unprecedented.

‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ Li said in an interview of the funding raised, which could roughly triple the amount raised by Biden in 2021 and exceeds Trump’s first inaugural committee, which raised roughly $117 million.

The committee is expecting donations to climb higher to upwards of $200 million, according to estimates shared with Fox News Digital. 

Asked whether it was difficult to build out a base of Republican donors less than a month after leaving the Democratic Party, Li told Fox News that she is dealing with many of the same financial contributors.

‘These are Democratic donors,’ she said. 

While Li noted they aren’t among the most liberal Democrat donors she has worked with, ‘They’re still donating,’ she said. 

‘They’re still so eager and willing to come to the table.’

Many, she said, share in the belief that Trump has been ‘great for the business community’ and hope to build on that in future conversations with the administration.

And even donors who have been wait-listed or turned down from attending the VIP events during the inaugural weekend due to the lack of space have expressed interest in working with the administration in the future.  

Just yesterday, she said, a donor noted, ”You know, even if we can’t can’t come this time, please let us know the next time that we can show our support.”

The reception as a whole has been ‘overwhelmingly positive,’ Li said of the response from donors. ‘The enthusiasm is just through the stratosphere.’