Republican senators who met Monday with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, brushed aside sexual assault and other allegations against him.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., called the allegations a “side issue” while lauding Hegseth’s ability to lead the Defense Department.
“Again, they’re throwing disparaging remarks at someone who has earned a great deal of credibility. Are soldiers sometimes wild childs? Yeah, that can happen,” Lummis said when she was asked whether the allegations concern her, “but it is very clear that this guy is the guy who, at a time when Americans are losing confidence in their own military, in our ability to project strength around the world, that Pete Hegseth is the answer to that concern.”
Around 10 to 12 senators on the Republican Steering Committee, a group of conservative senators led by Mike Lee, of Utah, met with Hegseth behind closed doors in the Capitol for less than an hour Monday.
Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News host, has faced several misconduct allegations since he was named as Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department (he has denied any wrongdoing). Most recently, a New Yorker article published Sunday revealed the contents of a previously undisclosed 2015 whistleblower report from a veterans’ organization Hegseth ran, which claimed he was repeatedly intoxicated on the job.
NBC News has not independently verified the report. Hegseth’s attorney declined to comment. In a statement to The New Yorker, an adviser said that the claims were “outlandish” and that they came from a “petty and jealous disgruntled former associate.”
The Trump transition team referred NBC News to a previous statement in support of Hegseth. Hegseth did not respond to shouted questions from NBC News about the New Yorker article and other allegations.
Senators offered their full-throated support to Hegseth after the meeting, downplaying the accusations.
“I’ve known Pete for a while, so in my experience with him has always been positive. I think he’s clearly committed to making sure we have a lethal military that scares the crap out of our enemies, is respected by our allies and is somebody that our allies can rely on,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.
Lee did not say whether the senators had discussed any of the allegations with Hegseth, saying they discussed his vision for the Pentagon.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the media was “obsessed” with personal allegations against Hegseth and told reporters that each Cabinet nominee will be subject to a background check but potentially not from the FBI — a new point of contention among lawmakers, as some Republicans say the FBI should not be in charge of carrying out the background checks, breaking with the usual practice.
A woman told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her in 2017 after a Republican women’s convention in California, according to official records of a police investigation released last month. Hegseth has denied the accusations and was not charged. He acknowledged having paid his accuser an undisclosed amount as part of a settlement.
Last week, The New York Times reported that Hegseth’s mother sent him an email calling him an “abuser of women” amid his contentious divorce in 2018. She told the Times later that she regretted the email, which NBC News has not obtained.
Hegseth’s lawyer declined to provide a statement but passed along a statement from the Trump transition team that said: “It is shameful but not surprising that the NYT is publishing a story about one out of context snippet from an illegally obtained private conversation between a mother and her son. The entire purpose of this exercise is to malign Mr. Hegseth.”
Speaking to reporters Monday after the meeting with Hegseth, Cruz referred to the New York Times story as “shameful.”
Senators also cited Hegseth’s ability to raise retention and recruitment levels in the military among young men and women, despite his having previously suggested that women should not serve. Asked about those comments, Lummis said they do not concern her.
“I think when he gets some fighter pilots that are women, that are, you know, the best of the best, he might, he might think twice about that,” she said.
In a podcast interview last month, Hegseth said women should not be allowed to fight on the front lines, claiming their presence has made fighting “more complicated.”
“I’m straight up just saying that we should not have women in combat roles,” Hegseth said on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast last month. His remarks drew swift backlash from female veterans and service members.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Republican senators’ remarks.
