What you should know about Trump's election

President-elect Donald Trump is considering dropping his pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, USA TODAY reported Wednesday.

After Trump named Hegseth as a Cabinet nominee, allegations from Hegseth’s past resurfaced and some wondered whether the controversy would derail his Senate confirmation. Trump’s previous nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, already dropped out of the selection process because of concerns that he would not receive enough support to be confirmed amid allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor.

But why might Hegseth suffer a similar fate? Here’s what you should know about the controversy surrounding his nomination:

More:Pete Hegseth’s mother speaks about angry email: ‘He is redeemed, forgiven, changed’

Who is Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Secretary of Defense?

Trump raised eyebrows when he named Hegseth as his defense secretary, breaking with tradition of filling the position with Pentagon chiefs who have long served in the government.

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Hegseth, 44, worked for Fox News from 2014 until he left after news of his nomination broke. Hegseth joined Army ROTC in college and was deployed overseas with the Army National Guard after graduating, according to a 2022 article in Reserve + National Guard Magazine.

Hegseth’s agenda for leading the Pentagon appears to be to bar women from combat missions, fire generals who promote “woke” military policies, and ease restrictions on troops’ behavior in war.

The position of Secretary of Defense requires Senate confirmation. Hegseth has scheduled meetings with Senate Republicans ahead of the confirmation hearings.

Pete Hegseth was accused of sexual assault, but no charges were filed

In 2017, Hegseth was involved in a sexual encounter that he said was consensual but was later reported to police as a sexual assault.

Police in Monterey, California, said they were investigating an incident that occurred between October 7 and 8, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa at Del Monte Golf Course.

Hegseth was at the hotel to speak at the California Federation of Republican Women convention, USA TODAY previously reported.

The alleged victim was an employee of the organization and had texted her husband about her dislike of Hegseth, saying he gave off a “sneaky” vibe, USA TODAY previously reported. Hotel footage showed the pair having a verbal argument in the pool area before Hegseth led her to his room. She later told police she didn’t know how she ended up in Hegseth’s room, but she remembered him blocking the door and taking her phone, she told police. Hegseth told police at the time that he was “dazed” but not drunk, although his lawyer recently claimed he was “visibly drunk” and that the woman was “the aggressor in the encounter.”

Hegseth was never charged, but he said in a statement that he paid the woman a settlement under the condition of confidentiality out of fear of losing his job at Fox News when she threatened litigation in 2020, according to multiple reports.

Reports of Misconduct at Former Veterans Organizations

According to media reports, Hegseth formerly headed a veterans charity from which he was reportedly fired amid allegations of misconduct.

On Sunday, The New Yorker reported that Hegseth was forced to resign from at least one nonprofit group he led before becoming an anchor at Fox News. The magazine published a whistleblower report about Hegseth’s tenure as president of the nonprofit Concerned Veterans for America. The report alleged that he was frequently drunk at work and contributed to workplace hostilities due to sexual misconduct.

CBS News also reported that there was a concerted effort to remove Hegseth from his post as head of the nonprofit Concerned Veterans for America due to complaints of drunkenness and poor leadership.

Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told USA TODAY that these claims are “completely false” and have been “thoroughly investigated and debunked.”

USA TODAY has reached out to CVA officials for more information.

Featuring: Riley Beggin, Tom Vanden Brook, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Victor Hagan, Zac Anderson

Kinsey Crowley is a featured news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.

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