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Senate Republicans announced Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Pete Hegseth, the Fox News personality accused of sexual assault, to lead the Pentagon following the release of a police report into the alleged sexual assault. There were various reactions to this.
While some senators defended Mr. Trump’s selection, others voiced some misgivings, with one senator telling NBC News that Mr. “I don’t care,” he said when asked about the police report released Wednesday.
Asked whether the sexual assault reports gave him pause about the possibility of Mr. Hegseth joining the Trump administration, Democratic Sen. Kevin Cramer, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said, “This is a pretty big issue.” ” he said. You know, we have a sexual assault problem in our military. ”
Mr. Kramer would not comment on whether the allegations would affect his vote, noting that there is a long process ahead.
“You know, this is why there are background checks. This is why there are hearings. This is why they have to undergo scrutiny. I’m not going to prejudge him, but certainly, this is pretty concerning. “That’s an accusation that should be made,” Kramer said.
Last week, President Trump nominated Hegseth, a longtime ally, to lead the Pentagon, describing him as “tough, intelligent and a true believer in America First.”
According to a police report released Wednesday night, the unidentified woman said in 2017 that after the Republican Women’s Convention in California, Hegseth took her cell phone, blocked her from leaving her hotel room and sexually assaulted her. He told the police that he added the following.
Hegseth was not charged and denies wrongdoing.
Caroline Leavitt, Trump’s transition press secretary and White House press secretary-designate, said in a statement that the report “confirms what Mr. Hegseth’s lawyers have said all along: The incident will be thoroughly investigated.” “He was discovered by the police, so he was not prosecuted.” That claim is false. ”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) also defended Trump’s selection, saying Trump would review the report and seek Hegseth’s approval.
Asked on NBC News about Hegseth’s qualifications to lead the Pentagon, Mullin said Hegseth is “a solid person” and “qualified for the job.”
“It’s not like he doesn’t have experience in the military, but I think he’s the perfect fit for this position,” Mullin said. “I think he’s very talented. There’s a reason President Trump has confidence in him.”
Marin also rejected the allegations of sexual misconduct detailed in the 2017 report, saying “unfortunate circumstances arose” and said that Hegseth “did something I can’t believe I did.” He was indicted,” he added.
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) also noted on X that he plans to support Hegseth’s confirmation, calling him “a great choice by @realDonaldTrump to change Washington.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) made a connection between his response to the allegations against Hegseth and his response to the rape allegations against President Joe Biden dating back to 1993 that surfaced during the 2020 presidential campaign. I tried to explore sexuality.
“When Biden was accused of rape, I said, ‘That’s not the Biden I know,'” Graham said, adding that lawmakers were calling Hegseth “on trial” based on “press statements.” ” he added, clearly referring to the police report in error.
When NBC News told him that the charges against Hegseth were included in the police report and not detailed in the media statement, Graham responded, “I don’t care.”
Two other Trump administration Cabinet nominees also face potentially damaging allegations of sexual misconduct.
Here are five things to know about Pete Hegseth.
Vanity Fair reported in July that a woman hired in the late 1990s to babysit Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services, claimed that she was groped while on the job. It was reported that For Kennedy and his wife.
Kennedy responded to Summer’s suspicions by saying, “I said in my announcement speech that I had so many skeletons in my closet that if everyone could vote, I could run for King of the World.”
Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name as a candidate for attorney general Thursday after allegations surfaced that he had sex with a minor and paid two other women for sex in 2017. . He has long denied the allegations.
After Gaetz’s name was withdrawn, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons told NBC News that Hegseth had “similar, challenging allegations.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we can answer those,” Koons said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) called for the Senate vetting process to move forward despite the allegations plaguing President Trump’s nominees, saying, “Let’s move forward with the committee process here.” said.
“Clearly, Gates ultimately decided he didn’t want to go through this process,” Hawley said. “But if there is a candidate who wants to do it, I would say let him do it. Let him testify and pass judgment until they have a chance to testify and address these concerns. Don’t jump to any conclusions.”
This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:
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