Politics

Pete Hegseth Ignores Rape Probe and Boasts: God Saved Me

SENATE DRAMA

Donald Trump’s controversial defense pick is likely to face an intense grilling about the allegations against him in his confirmation hearing.

Pete Hegseth did not address the allegations of sexual assault and other wrongdoing against him in his confirmation hearing opening statement.
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Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News star whom Donald Trump wants to put in charge of the Pentagon, did not address the rape investigation or other allegations of wrongdoing against him in his opening statement at his confirmation hearing Tuesday.

The 44-year-old Army veteran told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he will “bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense.” While ignoring the other allegations against him—which included claims of drunken antics in the workplace—Hegseth praised the Lord.

“[A]s Jenny and I pray together each morning, all glory—regardless of the outcome—belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Hegseth said. “His grace and mercy abound each day. May His will be done.”

Hegseth has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing. But he’s nevertheless likely to face intense scrutiny over the course of his hearing in light of the claims that have emerged against him since he was named by President-elect Trump as the nominee to lead the DOD in November.

“It is true that I don’t have a similar biography to Defense Secretaries of the last 30 years,” Hegseth said. “But, as President Trump also told me, we’ve repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly ‘the right credentials’—whether they are retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives—and where has it gotten us? He believes, and I humbly agree, that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. A change agent.”

Hegseth—who was making over $2 million a year at Fox News—previously served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, and received two Bronze Stars during his deployments. His supporters have pointed to his military experience and awards in justifying his nomination to run the Pentagon even as his critics have questioned his suitability for a Cabinet role given the torrent of allegations against him.

A woman accused Hegseth of sexually assaulting her in a California hotel room in 2017. A police report about the incident published in November said the alleged victim told an officer she “remembered saying ‘no’ a lot” during the encounter, which Hegseth says was consensual. He was not charged in connection with the alleged assault and his lawyer said Hegseth only reached a confidentiality agreement with his accuser because he feared her claims alone could hurt his career at Fox.

Soon after the report was made public, The New York Times obtained a 2018 email Hegseth received from his mother in which she accused him of having mistreated “many” women. She told the Times she had quickly apologized for what she’d written and said her words at the time “were not true.”

The potentially damaging stories kept coming. Hegseth’s former Fox News colleagues told NBC News of their concerns about his alleged drunken behavior at work, while The New Yorker reported last month on claims of wrongdoing surrounding his leadership of veterans organizations which ranged from financial mismanagement to making inappropriate sexual advances towards employees.

Hegseth has remained defiant and Trump, for his part, has continued to stand by Hegseth. “Pete Hegseth will make a GREAT Secretary of Defense,” the president–elect wrote in a Truth Social post before the hearing started Tuesday. “He has my Complete and Total support. Good luck today, Pete!”