Facing questions about alleged sexual assault and medieval-themed tattoos associated with extremist groups, Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, would have struggled to be confirmed for the job under normal circumstances.
But these are not normal times in Washington.
Fox News host Hegseth was chosen by Trump on Tuesday in one of several nominations that have also angered some in his rebuilt Republican Party and set up a challenge for the Senate.
To take over as head of the Pentagon and oversee 3.4 million employees, Hegseth will need confirmation from the upper house — and Trump has been publicly pressuring lawmakers to show loyalty to his agenda.
Read | Who is Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon choice for defense secretary?
Recent revelations about the 44-year-old have made his path to power more difficult, including that the thrice-married former soldier was investigated for sexual assault in California in 2017 Was.
No charges were filed over the encounter at the Monterey hotel, in which an unnamed accused filed a police report, but the claim has raised questions about the former soldier’s investigative process.
According to the Washington Post, Hegseth paid the woman an undisclosed amount as part of a nondisclosure agreement several years later, although he maintained that their meeting was consensual.
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Questions have also been raised about his tattoos, which led to him being stood down by his Army National Guard unit when he was called to attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2020.
Speaking on a podcast with fellow veteran Shawn Ryan earlier this month, he revealed that one of his fellow soldiers had flagged him as a potential white nationalist because of his body art.
He claimed this was due to the medieval Jerusalem cross on his chest, but he also has the words “Des Vult” on his bicep – a phrase meaning “God’s will” that was used by anti-Muslim crusaders in the Middle Ages.
Read | Don’t trust germs, haven’t washed hands in 10 years, mocks Fox News host
European medieval imagery and slogans have been widely adopted by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in recent years, but Hegseth says his tattoos simply reflect his beliefs.
The author of the 2020 book “American Crusade” said of the Jerusalem Cross, “It is a Christian symbol.”
His medieval weapon wielding has gone viral in recent days after a video resurfaced of him taking part in a televised axe-throwing competition, in which he missed the target and attacked a spectator , who escaped serious injury.
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His CV includes combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq and he rose to the rank of major in the National Guard – a lower level than the generals and admirals he will oversee at the Pentagon. Hegseth holds degrees from elite American universities, including a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a master’s degree from Harvard.
Square-jawed and outspoken, he came to Trump’s attention on the “Fox & Friends Weekend” show, which he co-hosted.
“You know the military better than anyone,” Trump told him during an appearance in early June, adding that he had often thought about putting him in charge of the Pentagon.
A former Republican activist who investigated Hegseth in 2016 when Trump was considering naming him as the more junior Veterans Affairs secretary wrote this week that he was unqualified and an “empty vessel. ” Are.
Lacking major experience in foreign affairs or congressional politics, Hegseth’s only civilian management credentials were being the CEO of a small non-profit organization, as former moderator Justin Higgins wrote for MSNBC.
“It’s not hard to imagine that he would do and say whatever Trump would want,” he said.
Hegseth’s main policy focus in his books and media appearances is to deal with what he calls “woke filth” in the armed forces – and he has expressed support for purging top officers.
She told Ryan on his podcast that her experiences have taught her that “the bigotry that we’ve seen outside (of the military) should not be tolerated inside the military” but that progressive efforts to combat racism and sexism have gone too far. .
“The Army I joined, where I was sworn in in 2001 and commissioned in 2003, looks very different from today’s Army because we are focused on so many of the wrong things,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
