Trump’s transition team caught off guard by Hegseth allegation

By CNN

Published November 15, 2024 4:48 pm

CNN

By Kristen Holmes and Kaitlan Collins, CNN

(CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team was in the middle of announcing new Cabinet picks this week when they were informed of a sexual assault allegation about one of his previous selections, Pete Hegseth, stunning several members of Trump’s team who have since raised questions about the viability of his nomination, according to two people close to the situation.

Trump had announced he was tapping Hegseth as his next secretary of defense after only days of considering the veteran-turned-Fox News host and very little internal vetting. Within 48 hours, the heads of Trump’s transition team were brought a complaint about a sexual assault allegation regarding Hegseth.

The campaign was brought information that aligns with what Monterey, California, police described as an investigation into “an alleged sexual assault” involving Hegseth on October 8, 2017.

Hegseth was a speaker at a conference held by the California Federation of Republican Women at a hotel during the timeframe when the alleged assault took place, according to photos of the event posted on Facebook. Hegseth has not been charged in any criminal case or named as a defendant in any civil lawsuit filed in Monterey County since 2017, and his attorney denied any wrongdoing.

But the nature of the allegations caused incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles to question Hegseth during a call Thursday, a source told CNN. Wiles asked Hegseth if there were any other issues the team should be aware of moving forward.

Hegseth wasn’t ever vetted by an outside firm before he was announced. Some people who previously worked for Trump when he was last in office and briefly considered Hegseth to run the Department of Veterans Affairs noted it was short-lived for similar reasons, without citing specifics.

One source insisted that despite the surprise, the president-elect and the transition team were moving forward with the nomination at this time.

But in the days since, the allegation has only roiled Hegseth’s already shaky selection to run the largest agency in the federal government that includes millions of service members and civilians and a budget over $800 billion. There was open speculation on Friday in Trump’s orbit about whether Hegseth would ultimately pull his own nomination, with several people concerned that there could be more damaging information to come.

The president-elect’s pick this week of Hegseth, a nominee without senior military or public office experience, to serve as his secretary of defense had surprised both Pentagon officials and the former president’s own allies.

But Trump’s communications director defended Hegseth in an earlier statement to CNN, saying he “has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed.”

“We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again,” Steven Cheung said.