The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board questioned Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, over a sexual assault allegation in a new op-ed published Tuesday.
The Journal’s editorial board suggested that when the Senate holds confirmation hearings over Hegseth becoming the head of the Department of Defense, they may question what he withheld from Trump’s transition team while he was being vetted.
“Whoever leads the Pentagon needs to have the President’s trust. If Mr. Trump wasn’t informed about this political liability before announcing the nomination, he might reasonably wonder what else Mr. Hegseth hasn’t told him,” the board wrote.
The Monterey Police Department confirmed an investigation last week of an “alleged sexual assault” involving Hegseth in 2017. Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, spoke with Hegseth about the allegation, which he said stemmed from a consensual encounter.
Hegseth’s nomination to the Defense Department was surprising given his relative lack of experience. He was an infantry officer in the Army National Guard and later served as a host of Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” program.
Hegseth’s lawyer argued he is “completely innocent” and was actually the subject of blackmail from the woman in the situation.
The Journal’s board noted that what happened seven years ago “might be impossible to prove or disprove,” since the sides are saying differing things.
“But even granting Mr. Hegseth the benefit of the doubt, it raises questions about judgment, including whether he warned the President-elect that this might come out,” they wrote.
The Journal highlighted a Trump spokesperson who said they look forward to Hegseth’s confirmation to the department, but the board also left the door open, saying “nominations impulsively made can also be withdrawn.”
The Hill has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.
