Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week to meet with Republican senators whose votes he will need to be confirmed amid growing allegations of personal misconduct.
He has been accused of rape, infidelity in his first two marriages, financial mismanagement of veterans organizations he ran and reports of excessive drinking around co-workers, including an incident where he allegedly chanted, “Kill all Muslims.”
Most Republican senators were withholding judgment on Mr. Hegseth, but Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina warned that the reports about misconduct could complicate his confirmation prospects.
“I think some of these articles are very disturbing,” Mr. Graham told CBS News. “He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is going to be difficult. You know, time will tell.”
Assuming all Democrats oppose his confirmation, Mr. Hegseth cannot lose support from more than three Republicans to be confirmed.
Mr. Hegseth has not commented on all the allegations. He denied rape, saying the 2017 incident was a consensual sexual encounter. The woman’s sexual assault claim was investigated, and charges were never filed. Mr. Hegseth said he provided a monetary settlement to the woman in a lawsuit to protect his reputation and not as an admission of guilt.
The bad news about Mr. Hegseth is mounting. The New York Times revealed a 2018 email from his mother calling him an “abuser of women” who “belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego.” Mr. Hegseth’s mother told the outlet she immediately sent an apology email and did not stand by what she wrote.
The New Yorker reported Sunday that Mr. Hegseth was forced to step down from two nonprofit advocacy groups he ran, Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America, because of allegations of financial mismanagement and personal misconduct, including excessive drinking around co-workers, which resulted in his having to be escorted out of multiple events.
Mr. Hegseth declined to comment on the allegations as he visited Capitol Hill on Monday and Tuesday to meet with senators.
“I appreciate the opportunity to meet with senators,” he said.
Sen. Susan M. Collins, a moderate Maine Republican who is willing to buck Mr. Trump, told CNN that she would like to see an FBI background check on Mr. Hegseth to help evaluate the allegations against him and see how he addresses them during his confirmation hearing and answers to Senate questionnaires.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Alabama Republican, told reporters after meeting with Mr. Hegseth on Monday that he is not concerned about the negative reports. He said the nominee has “a good explanation” for the accusations but would leave it up to Mr. Hegseth to explain it publicly.
“I’ve looked at all the personal stuff — and again, I’ve known him for a long time — and there’s not going to be anything to this at the end of the day,” Mr. Tuberville said.
Mr. Tuberville said Mr. Hegseth will remove diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the military.
“He’s got great work ethic. He’s very, very smart. He understands the business side as well as the military side — been in 20 years. He’s actually fought in wars,” he said. “But he’s a good age too, somebody that can relate to the young men and women that we need to recruit in the military.”
Asked about reports of Mr. Hegseth’s treatment of women and drinking problems, Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, quipped: “That would not be novel in Washington, D.C.”
Other Republicans said the allegations will be vetted during the Senate confirmation process.
“That’s why God made confirmation hearings,” said Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican. “We have good staffs. We have good investigators. They will get to the bottom of all of these allegations. We’ll spend a lot of time with the nominees, asking them pointed questions, and I’m looking forward to that process.”
Pressed about the controversy surrounding Mr. Hegseth, he said: “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. And there have been a lot of allegations made, not surprising to me, about President Trump’s nominees because President Trump is a very controversial, unconventional guy.”
Sen. Mike Rounds, South Dakota Republican, told reporters on Monday that he would discuss the allegations with Mr. Hegseth when he meets with him.
“I think part of the healthy discussion that we have with [nominees] in private is to say these are some questions that you’re going to have to be able to answer and respond to, and we allow them then to explain to us what their response is,” he said.
Mr. Rounds said he also wants to talk substantively about Mr. Hegseth’s vision for improving the Defense Department.
“We are in a world that’s on fire, and the Department of Defense has got to have a leader who sees the big picture and can build a team,” he said.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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