Matt Gaetz has withdrawn from consideration for attorney general after both past allegations of sexual misconduct and other lawmakers’ intense dislike of him made it clear that he lacked the support to gain confirmation.
Could Pete Hegseth be next?
The longtime Fox News host was chosen by Trump as his secretary of defense, in another highly unconventional pick. It was already known that Hegseth did not have a traditional resume for someone who might lead the Pentagon, and he also had something of a colorful marital history, but shortly after his nomination was announced, it was reported that the nominee had been investigated for a sexual assault in California in 2017, and while no criminal charges were filed, Hegseth paid a financial settlement to the accuser. The alleged victim in the case has not come forward.
Perfect MAGA scene.
The twice divorced Sec. Def nominee shouting down a woman by the pool at 130 am and then berating hotel staff about having fReeDom oF sPEEch when they tell him to chill out https://t.co/dWybRv69T1 pic.twitter.com/xeseWIHo4n
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) November 21, 2024
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On Thursday, details were published from the police report, which were fairly damning for Hegseth. The report was released this week by police in Monterey, Calif., where the alleged assault took place, in response to a public records request.
Later in the day, during a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Republican Senators, Hegseth briefly addressed the allegations for the first time since he became the nominee.
REPORTER: Did you sexually assault a woman in Monterey, California?
PETE HEGSETH: I have — ah — as far as the media is concerned, it’s very simple. The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it. pic.twitter.com/JovTk3kLyB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 21, 2024
“‘As far as the media is concerned, the matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared,” he said, per The Daily Mail. “That’s where I’m gonna leave it.”
Conspiracy theories that Hegseth is being “framed” by the “Deep State” seem unlikely to fly in this instance, mostly because the accusation has a contemporaneous police report, which was filed years before Hegseth was under consideration for any government position.
Will Senators buy this, and vote to confirm the nominee? One thing worth keeping in mind is that preventing sexual assault in the military has become a bipartisan cause in Congress in recent years, and it could be seen as a betrayal of that cause for Senators to approve someone like Hegseth.
Photo courtesy of Political Tribune media library.
