Pete Hegsethās Secret History
Hegsethās record before becoming a full-time Fox News TV host, in 2017, raises additional questions about his suitability to run the worldās largest and most lethal military force. A trail of documents, corroborated by the accounts of former colleagues, indicates that Hegseth was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ranāVeterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for Americaāin the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.
A previously undisclosed whistle-blower report on Hegsethās tenure as the president of Concerned Veterans for America, from 2013 until 2016, describes him as being repeatedly intoxicated while acting in his official capacityāto the point of needing to be carried out of the organizationās events. The detailed seven-page reportāwhich was compiled by multiple former C.V.A. employees and sent to the organizationās senior management in February, 2015āstates that, at one point, Hegseth had to be restrained while drunk from joining the dancers on the stage of a Louisiana strip club, where he had brought his team. The report also says that Hegseth, who was married at the time, and other members of his management team sexually pursued the organizationās female staffers, whom they divided into two groupsāthe āparty girlsā and the ānot party girls.ā In addition, the report asserts that, under Hegsethās leadership, the organization became a hostile workplace that ignored serious accusations of impropriety, including an allegation made by a female employee that another employee on Hegsethās staff had attempted to sexually assault her at the Louisiana strip club. In a separate letter of complaint, which was sent to the organization in late 2015, a different former employee described Hegseth being at a bar in the early-morning hours of May 29, 2015, while on an official tour through Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, drunkenly chanting āKill All Muslims! Kill All Muslims!ā
In response to questions from this magazine, Tim Parlatore, a lawyer for Hegseth, replied with the following statement, which he said came from āan advisorā to Hegseth: āWeāre not going to comment on outlandish claims laundered through The New Yorker by a petty and jealous disgruntled former associate of Mr. Hegsethās. Get back to us when you try your first attempt at actual journalism.ā
A whistle-blower report and other documents suggest that Trumpās nominee to run the Pentagon was forced out of previous leadership positions for financial mismanagement, sexist behavior, and being repeatedly intoxicated on the job.
www.newyorker.com
When taken in combination with the e-mail Pete's mom sent him, calling him out for his lack of character, is this the hill trump wants to die on.
If I'm Hegseth, I don't think I want to sit thru confirmation hearings answering questions about public drunkenness and sexual misconduct. Not to mention being replaced from leadership positions far, far less consequential than DoD.
It's been reported Team trump was surprised when it learned about the rape allegation. Hegseth's, not trump's. I imagine this too comes as unwelcome news they weren't aware of. Does Baby Donald dig in? Does Pete ask to be dismissed? I can't see this nomination going anywhere but away. Then again, Schlitz Kavanaugh sits on the SC bench so.............