Remember when Donald Trump promised to fill his cabinet with the very “best” people the country has to offer?
What a massive insult to the country as a whole, seeing as how Trump has thus far filled his incoming administration with heavily investigated probably-criminals, sexual assaulters, and weird fringe media figures. If this is the best the country has to offer we’re all doomed, since yet more troubling allegations drop about Trump’s tarnished cabinet on a daily basis.
The latest of these relate to Pete Hegseth of Fox News, who Trump tapped to take over as secretary of defense. He joins Trump himself and the already-ousted Matt Gaetz in facing damning reports of sexual assault, which could see yet another terrible selection’s prospects end before they truly began.
Hegseth was always seen as a starkly inappropriate choice for secretary of defense, given his meager experience and abundance of ineptitude, but the fresh report could stop his nomination in its tracks. Each member of the Trump cabinet must face a confirmation hearing ahead of their official approval, in which they’ll be questioned about their histories, qualifications, and plans for the future. Should Hegseth face rampant questions about his previous sexual misconduct in said hearing — and particularly if he is unable to give a satisfying answer — we could see yet another initial Trump pick ousted before he was ever in.
A widely-circulating police report exposes the 2017 case in which a woman accused Hegseth of sexual assault. She alleges, in a 22-page report released by Calfornia’s attorney office of Monterey, that Hegseth “physically blocked her from leaving a hotel room, took her phone, and then sexually assaulted” her. The police report sports warring opinions on whether or not assault was at play, and on the level of intoxication of both Hegseth and the victim, but a bulky number of Americans find the report, at base, to be disqualifying.
Hegseth alleges the encounter was consensual, but he also entered a settlement agreement with the victim years ago, paying an undisclosed amount to close the case and maintain confidentiality. The alleged assault took place in early October of 2017, but the office of Monterey County DA Jeannine Pacioni ultimately declined to file charges against Hegseth. This was reportedly because they couldn’t prove claims from the victim — simply called “Jane Doe” in legal filings — “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Both Hegseth and Trump’s teams have pushed back on the police report, claiming that investigators “found the allegations to be false, which is why no charges were filed.” That’s not entirely true — nowhere in the police filing does it say anything about the allegations being false. There was simply a settlement reached, which doesn’t equal out to a “not guilty” verdict.
Hegseth’s version of events differs massively from the recollections of Jane Doe, who admittedly notes that she remembers little of the evening once she was back in Hegseth’s room. She’s even theorized that something may have been slipped into her drink, but there’s no proof that occured.
The details around the report are still fuzzy, particularly given the warring testimonies and the lack of video evidence. Quite a bit of footage was included in the original investigation, but none of it has been released to the public, which bars us from properly understanding what extra evidence may have contributed to the settlement.
Regardless of those extra details, however, the report casts a shadow over Hegseth’s nomination. As an alleged sexual assaulter, he actually fits in wonderfully with the Trump team as a whole, but such damning accusations could urge morally sound members of Congress against allowing Hegseth to claim his potential position as secretary of defense.
