Pete Hegseth could be out. His potential replacement is really something.

The appointment of Fox News personality Pete Hegseth as defense secretary was, from the outset, one of the least serious decisions Donald Trump has made in assembling his largely dubious list of second-term Cabinet nominees.

But information that has emerged since Hegseth’s nomination was announced makes the selection seem even less responsible. A newly released police report shows he was accused of sexually assaulting and possibly raping a woman he met at a conference in California in 2017. (Local authorities concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge him, and he denies the claim.) A New Yorker investigation found that he was fired from two jobs leading veterans groups because of “serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety “was urged. and personal misconduct.” (Hegseth’s lawyer told the magazine that the claims were “outlandish” and blamed “a petty and jealous, disgruntled former employee” for spreading them.) And The New York Times obtained an email from him in 2018 mother to Hegseth, describing him as someone who “lies, cheats, sleeps around and exploits women for his own power and ego.” (Hegseth, 44, has been married three times. His mother says she regrets writing the email and that it doesn’t adequately characterize her son.)

The allegations himself are obviously not inherently disqualifying for Trump, who was found guilty last year of defaming a woman the jury believed he raped in 1996 and was found guilty this year of committing fraud to obtain evidence of a to cover up a sexual affair that had taken place shortly after him. The third wife gave birth to her child. However, he is reportedly upset that Hegseth did not tell his transition team about the rape allegation and has long suspected heavy drinking, a result of his late brother Fred’s alcoholism.

In fact, both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times are now reporting that Trump is so upset with Hegseth and so skeptical about his chances of confirmation that he is considering bringing back a popular character from previous seasons of The Trump Show to be the one instead To assume SecDef role:

President-elect Donald Trump is considering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a possible replacement for Pete Hegseth, his nominee to lead the Pentagon, people familiar with the discussions say, as Republican senators weigh in on mounting allegations about the man former Fox News hosts are worried about their lives.

Yes…YES!!!! This is our meatball Ron, who rose to dizzying heights due to his strong campaigning against COVID precautions and wokeness, even running with Trump in the presidential election… but then fell back into the dismal depths of actually having to manage the state of Florida after voters had found him to be a bumbling, over-scripted campaigner who was so ineffective that when Slate wrote an article about political strategists’ suggestions for improving his Chances published, came to the conclusion that his two best options were “falling out” or becoming a different person.” He was also said to have once eaten a cup of pudding with his fingers on an airplane.

You Have Questions About Meatballs, We Have Answers About Meatballs:

• But what about all the harsh things DeSantis said about Trump during the primaries, many of which were obviously true? The old isn’t that important to Trump as long as someone is willing to hide from him in the present.

• Is he qualified for the role? When he was younger, DeSantis served as a “JAG,” or Judge Advocate General, of the Navy in Iraq. Although he never held a major leadership role in the military, he is basically Dwight Eisenhower by Trump administration standards.

• Would he actually want to do that? Clearly, eliminating “wokeness” (i.e., diversity programs) from American institutions, including the military, has long been DeSantis’ main goal as a politician. It’s also an important and high-profile job and he probably wants to run for president again.

• Anyone else consider it? Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is reportedly a much more qualified candidate, but also a less fun candidate.

So this is the state of the country. And the stakes are high: In a normal administration, the defense secretary is responsible for overseeing operations and maintaining the readiness of U.S. forces, but in Trump administrations, he or she has the even more important task of persuading the president , not to invade Mexico, not to install himself as king, or to order the special forces to “get” Rosie O’Donnell out. Stay careful out there, People.

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