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Politics|Republicans Rally Behind Pete Hegseth Amid Sexual Assault Accusations
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/us/politics/pete-hegseth-sexual-assault-senate-republicans.html
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Some Republican senators, who will consider his nomination to be defense secretary, shrugged off the accusations and defended him.
- Nov. 21, 2024Updated 3:58 p.m. ET
Vice President-elect JD Vance brought two of Donald J. Trump’s potential cabinet members to the Senate this week to shore up support for the president-elect’s picks, but he’s leaving with only one.
Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration as the next attorney general on Thursday amid allegations of sexual misconduct, one day after Mr. Vance tried to muster support for him on Capitol Hill. His withdrawal came less than 45 minutes after another embattled cabinet pick, Pete Hegseth, Mr. Trump’s choice for defense secretary, faced a direct question about his own sexual assault accusations.
After finishing meetings with senators in Mr. Vance’s office, Mr. Hegseth, a Fox News anchor, emerged from behind closed doors and told reporters that he looked forward to the confirmation process. A reporter immediately brought up the 2017 allegations of sexual misconduct, asking: “Did you sexually assault a woman in Monterey, California?”
“As far as the media is concerned, I’ll keep this very simple,” Mr. Hegseth replied. “The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared. And that’s where I’m going to leave it.”
Concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s path to confirmation grew on Wednesday night when a newly released police report provided graphic details about a 2017 sexual encounter, which Mr. Hegseth maintains was consensual.
On Thursday, some Republican senators defended Mr. Hegseth, emphasizing that no charges were filed in the case. After meeting with him in Mr. Vance’s Senate office, Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee attributed the allegations to “the media’s focus on personal attacks,” calling Mr. Hegseth “the right guy to inspire the Pentagon.”
