US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Chris Wright, a prominent fracking executive and outspoken climate change skeptic, as energy secretary, tasking him with reducing regulations to boost fossil fuel investments.

In a statement, Trump praised Wright as "a key leader" who will "drive innovation, cut red tape, and usher in a new 'Golden Age of American Prosperity and Global Peace.'"

Wright, the founder of Liberty Energy, has been instrumental in advancing the shale industry, significantly increasing US fossil fuel production through fracking.

He has publicly challenged prevailing views on climate change. In a LinkedIn post last year, he asserted, "There is no climate crisis, and we are not in the midst of an energy transition either." He also dismissed the term "carbon pollution" as "outrageous," claiming, "All life depends on carbon dioxide."

Emphasizing the impacts of all energy sources, Wright stated, "There is no such thing as clean energy or dirty energy; all energy sources have impacts on the world, both positive and negative."

Trump hailed Wright as "one of the pioneers" of the American Shale Revolution, crediting him with fueling US energy independence and reshaping global energy markets and geopolitics.

Two Trump cabinet picks in jeopardy over sexual misconduct claims

Sexual misconduct claims threatened the confirmation of two of Trump's most contentious cabinet picks on Friday, Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice for defense secretary, and Matt Gaetz, the far-right Florida lawmaker chosen for attorney general. 

Revelations have surfaced that police in California investigated a sexual assault allegation against him in 2017 and despite no charges pressed, the accusations were severe enough for Trump's newly hired chief of staff, Susie Wiles, to allegedly speak with Hegseth after learning about them on Wednesday evening, the day following his nomination.

Vanity Fair magazine reported that the incoming president's attorneys spoke with Hegseth after allegations that he was involved in a 2017 incident at the Hyatt Regency hotel in California, which was holding a Republican women's conference.

According to the report, Hegseth informed Wiles and the Trump legal team that it was a consensual affair and described the claim as "he said, she said".

A source said Hegseth had not been thoroughly vetted by the Trump team, something the team denies. 

The screening disagreement arose when independent allegations surfaced that regular FBI background investigations of several of Trump's most contentious candidates, which are supposed to identify previous criminal behavior and other potentially disqualifying liabilities, had been halted.

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