Breaking news on sexual assault allegations, Senate battles and more

Topline

Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth received a positive response to his appointment as Secretary of Defense an opinion poll was released on Sunday despite a sexual abuse allegation – which he denies – that could complicate his Senate confirmation process.

Pete Hegseth, former host of Fox & Friends, at the National Council of Young Israel Gala in New York … (+) City. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Key facts

A total of 33% of Americans were surveyed by CBS/YouGov in a questionnaire released Sunday, said Hegseth was a good choice for defense secretary, while 28% said he was not a good choice and 39% said they had not heard enough about him.

Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a California hotel in 2017, although he was never charged by police and has denied the allegations, which became public after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for the role of secretary of state of Defense.

Hegseth’s accuser told police in Monterey, California that she was at an after-party for a California Federation of Republican Women conference, where Hegseth was a speaker, when she confronted Hegseth about his alleged inappropriate behavior toward other women at the conference. with him in a hotel room, where she remembers him hovering over her shirtless and cumming on her stomach, according to a police report made public last week.

The woman, identified in the report as “Jane Doe,” told police that she “remembered saying ‘no’ many times when she was with Hegseth in his room and that Hegseth “took her phone out of her hands” and then “ the door blocked with his body” when she tried to leave, the report said.

Hegseth, who told police the two had consensual sex that night, responded directly to the allegations for the first time Thursday, according to the document, telling reporters at the Capitol: “As far as the media is concerned, it’s very simple, the matter was fully investigated and I was completely exonerated, and I’m going to leave it at that” when a reporter asked him if he had sexually assaulted a woman in Monterey.

At least one Republican senator, Joni Ernst of Iowa — a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who has openly criticized the military’s handling of sexual assault allegations — has expressed reservations about Hegseth, Tell Politico the claims are worth “discussion,” adding, “any time there are allegations, you want to make sure they are properly vetted.”

Hegseth, or any Cabinet nominee who needs Senate approval, can afford to lose just three Republican votes to be confirmed for the job, as the Republican Party will have a slim 53-47 majority early next year .

What to pay attention to

Hegseth and newly elected Vice President J.D. Vance are lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and other GOP senators have expressed their support, including Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who met with Hegseth on Thursday and told Politico he is a “strong nominee” who “promised that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power – and not on the current administration’s woke political agenda.”

What are the charges against Hegseth?

The allegations of sexual abuse surfaced first just days after Trump announced Hegseth as his choice to lead the Defense Department via a memo to his transition team from a woman who said she was friends with the prosecutor. The memo reportedly contains similar details to those in the police report. The accuser told police she went to the hospital, where a rape kit was performed, after experiencing flashbacks to the incident several days after returning home from the conference, the police report said.

What is Hegseth’s response to the accusations?

Hegseth has strongly denied the allegations through his attorney, Timothy Parlatore, who said Hegseth paid the woman a settlement in 2020 as part of a non-disclosure agreement. Parlatore said Hegseth entered into the agreement when he learned the woman and her husband hired a lawyer and told other people she planned to file a lawsuit against him. Hegseth told police he was drunk that night and did not know why the accuser returned to his hotel room with him, but that they had consensual sex, according to the police report. He said the woman “showed early signs of remorse” the next morning and he assured her he would not tell anyone about the encounter, the report said.

Has Hegseth been charged with a crime?

No. Police recommended the case to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review, but no charges were ever filed.

What has Trump said about Hegseth?

Trump called Hegseth a “warrior” and “a true supporter of America First” in a statement announcing the nomination on November 12. The statement touts his service in the Army National Guard and deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, along with his eight years as a Fox News host. A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team said this Associated press in response to the police report made public Thursday, “it confirms what Mr. Hegseth’s attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police ruled the allegations were false.” The report does not say whether officials have made a decision on the charges.

What are Hegseth’s views on the military?

Hegseth — who served in the National Guard — has argued that women should not serve in combat roles, which appeals to some criticism. He is too publicly And private advocated for members of the military accused of war crimes. The Guardian reported Friday that Hegseth, who would oversee the military, wrote in his 2020 book “American Crusade” that if President Joe Biden were to win the election, the military and police would be “forced to make a choice” and that there would be “a form of civil war.” Trump has previously suggested he would use the military to go after domestic political opponents, which he did described as ‘the enemy from within’.

New details emerge about sexual assault allegations against Pete Hegseth: Here’s what to know as Trump defends nominee for Secretary of Defense (Forbes)

Police report details 2017 sexual assault allegation against Pete Hegseth (Forbes)

Trump’s Defense Secretary Pick Pete Hegseth Named in 2017 Sexual Assault Investigation (Forbes)