High-ranking individuals in Donald Trump’s transition team are calling into question their choice of Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department after information resurfaced that police investigated a sexual assault allegation against Hegseth in 2017.
The exclusive report by The Washington Post detailed a complaint that was shared with Trump’s team outlining a woman’s claim that Hegseth assaulted her in a Monterey, California, hotel after a Republican conference. According to the Post, the person who made the extensive complaint was a friend of the alleged victim, who later signed a nondisclosure agreement with Hegseth.
His lawyer said that police found no evidence of wrongdoing, but Trump’s team were taken by surprise at the detailed allegation. The claim did not result in any criminal charges against Hegseth.
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“There’s a lot of frustration around this,” the person told the Post, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. “He hadn’t been properly vetted.” They also said that the transition team fears more revelations against Hegseth will come to light.
Another potential concern revolves around Hegseth’s tattoos, as they have been associated with white nationalist movements. Hegseth said he was removed from National Guard duty for Joe Biden’s inauguration for this reason.
On Thursday, the Associated Press published a semi-redacted, January 2021 email from a fellow Guard member to his unit’s leadership drawing attention to one of those tattoos: “Deus Vult.”
Retired Master Sgt. DeRicko Gaither wrote that that tattoo led him to flag Hegseth as a possible “Insider Threat.”
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