Pete Hegseth on VA Job: Proud to Have Been Considered

Fox News' Pete Hegseth on Thursday said he was "proud to be under consideration" for the Veterans Administration secretary job.

"My name was out there just like some others. I was proud to be under consideration," Hegseth said on "Fox & Friends." 

President Donald Trump announced his nomination of White House physician Ronny Jackson to the job on Wednesday after the announcement that David Shulkin was being fired. 

"The president is going to bring in the people he thinks are going to be in the best position to fix that agency, and I think Ronny Jackson has the type of stature and the ability to do it," Hegseth added.

Shulkin was a holdover from the Obama administration, and "he decided he was there to save America from Trump," Hegseth said.

Hegseth had been a leading candidate for the VA secretary job, The Washington Post reported.

The Fox News personality is an Iraq War veteran who was previously executive director of advocacy groups Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America. He has been a Trump confidant whom Trump called on to discuss veterans' policy, the Post reported.

Some veterans' advocacy groups would have objected to Hegseth's nomination over fears of downsizing the VA and privatizing the system.

Hegseth had been vetted to get the job when Trump was elected, but was considered too inexperienced to run the agency, the report said.

• Shulkin Hits 'Toxic' Washington: 'It Should Not Be This Hard to Serve Your Country'
• Veterans Group: Shulkin 'Became a Distraction' at VA