Trump’s Defense Pick Hit With Even More Allegations of Trash Behavior
While Pete Hegseth makes his last hurrah on Capitol Hill Wednesday to convince senators that he’s a worthy nominee for Donald Trump’s secretary of defense, the Fox News star’s former colleagues are coming out in droves to flag down his past indiscretions. One former colleague who preferred to remain anonymous told NPR’s David Folkenflik that the ex-anchor was known to be “handsy” while inebriated and that he once groped her at a Manhattan bar.Hegseth’s attorney, Tim Parlatore, told the radio network that the allegation was a “false claim.” Fox News denied having any knowledge of the groping accusation.Ten other current and former Fox employees alerted NBC News on Tuesday that Hegseth’s drinking was concerning. Two sources told the outlet that they had smelled alcohol on Hegseth on more than a dozen occasions while he hosted Fox & Friends Weekend. Another source said they had smelled alcohol on Hegseth as recently as last month.“Everyone would be talking about it behind the scenes before he went on the air,” one of the former Fox employees said. Hegseth’s rampant drinking could be the last nail in the coffin for the inexperienced nominee’s chances at Trump’s Cabinet. On Wednesday, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer told CNN that the former anchor needed to offer a promise of sobriety before taking the reins of the Pentagon.“One of the things I’d love to hear is that he’s committed to not drinking,” Cramer said. “Being familiar with the problems of alcoholism and the dumb things we do when we drink too much, it’d be really nice if he could set that one aside for good, if not at least through his term as secretary.”Still, Hegseth is under the impression that he’s going to be fine. Speaking with reporters outside Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Hegseth said that Trump was still fully behind him—despite reports that the president-elect is apparently looking at other candidates, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.“He supports me fully,” Hegseth said. “We’re not going anywhere.”But crossing boundaries with his co-workers would be just one part of the picture behind Hegseth. Last month, a shocking 2017 police report revealed that the Army veteran had been accused of raping an attendee at a Republican women’s conference in Monterey, California. Since those allegations surfaced, Hegseth has admitted to several other scandals, including five affairs that he had during his first marriage.Even Hegseth’s own mother couldn’t defend the white nationalist–connected conservative, accusing her son in a scathing 2018 email following his separation from his second wife of “using women for his own power.”“On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say … get some help and take an honest look at yourself,” Penelope Hegseth wrote in the email, obtained by The New York Times Friday. (Hegseth’s mother has since publicly changed her tune—on Wednesday morning, she appeared on Fox News to beg people to support her son for defense secretary.)
While Pete Hegseth makes his last hurrah on Capitol Hill Wednesday to convince senators that he’s a worthy nominee for Donald Trump’s secretary of defense, the Fox News star’s former colleagues are coming out in droves to flag down his past indiscretions.
One former colleague who preferred to remain anonymous told NPR’s David Folkenflik that the ex-anchor was known to be “handsy” while inebriated and that he once groped her at a Manhattan bar.
Hegseth’s attorney, Tim Parlatore, told the radio network that the allegation was a “false claim.” Fox News denied having any knowledge of the groping accusation.
Ten other current and former Fox employees alerted NBC News on Tuesday that Hegseth’s drinking was concerning. Two sources told the outlet that they had smelled alcohol on Hegseth on more than a dozen occasions while he hosted Fox & Friends Weekend. Another source said they had smelled alcohol on Hegseth as recently as last month.
“Everyone would be talking about it behind the scenes before he went on the air,” one of the former Fox employees said.
Hegseth’s rampant drinking could be the last nail in the coffin for the inexperienced nominee’s chances at Trump’s Cabinet. On Wednesday, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer told CNN that the former anchor needed to offer a promise of sobriety before taking the reins of the Pentagon.
“One of the things I’d love to hear is that he’s committed to not drinking,” Cramer said. “Being familiar with the problems of alcoholism and the dumb things we do when we drink too much, it’d be really nice if he could set that one aside for good, if not at least through his term as secretary.”
Still, Hegseth is under the impression that he’s going to be fine. Speaking with reporters outside Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Hegseth said that Trump was still fully behind him—despite reports that the president-elect is apparently looking at other candidates, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“He supports me fully,” Hegseth said. “We’re not going anywhere.”
But crossing boundaries with his co-workers would be just one part of the picture behind Hegseth. Last month, a shocking 2017 police report revealed that the Army veteran had been accused of raping an attendee at a Republican women’s conference in Monterey, California. Since those allegations surfaced, Hegseth has admitted to several other scandals, including five affairs that he had during his first marriage.
Even Hegseth’s own mother couldn’t defend the white nationalist–connected conservative, accusing her son in a scathing 2018 email following his separation from his second wife of “using women for his own power.”
“On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say … get some help and take an honest look at yourself,” Penelope Hegseth wrote in the email, obtained by The New York Times Friday. (Hegseth’s mother has since publicly changed her tune—on Wednesday morning, she appeared on Fox News to beg people to support her son for defense secretary.)
