Senate Republicans on Thursday gave mixed reactions to President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Pete Hegseth, a Fox News personality accused of sexual assault, to lead the Defense Department following the release of a police report on allegations of assault against him.
Some senators defended Trump’s choice, while others expressed some trepidation, with one senator telling NBC News, “I don’t care” when contacted about a police report released Wednesday related to a sexual assault allegation against Hegseth in 2017.
Asked whether the sexual assault report gave him any doubts about the possibility of Hegseth serving in Trump’s Cabinet, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., a member of the Armed Services Committee, said: “It’s a pretty big deal , given that we have, you know, we have a sexual assault problem in our military.”
Cramer would not comment on whether the accusation would affect his voting rights, pointing to a long process ahead.
“You know, this is why you have background checks. This is why you have hearings. This is why you have to undergo the investigation. I’m not going to prejudge him, but yeah, it’s a pretty troubling allegation,” Cramer said.
Trump last week named Hegseth, a longtime ally, as his pick to lead the Pentagon, describing him as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First.”
An unidentified woman told police in 2017 that Hegseth took her phone and prevented her from leaving a hotel room before sexually assaulting her after a Republican women’s convention in California, according to a police report released Wednesday night.
Hegseth was not charged and has denied wrongdoing.
Karoline Leavitt, a Trump transition spokeswoman and his pick to be White House press secretary, said in a statement that the report “confirms what Mr. Hegseth’s lawyers have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no action was taken.” charges were filed because police found the allegations were false.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., also defended Trump’s choice, saying he had reviewed the report and would push for Hegseth’s confirmation.
Asked by NBC News about Hegseth’s qualifications to lead the Pentagon, Mullin called him a “solid individual” and “the right man for the job.”
“It’s not that he doesn’t have experience in the military. I think he’s perfect for the position,” Mullin said. “I think he is very talented. And there’s a reason why President Trump trusts him.”
Mullin also dismissed the allegations of sexual misconduct detailed in the 2017 report, calling them “an unfortunate situation that occurred” and adding that Hegseth “was accused of doing something that I don’t believe he did .”
Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., also called Hegseth a “great choice by @realDonaldTrump, to change Washington,” on X, noting his plans to support Hegseth’s confirmation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tried to draw a connection between his response to the allegations against Hegseth and how he had responded to a 1993 rape allegation against President Joe Biden that came to light during his 2020 presidential campaign.
“When Biden was accused of rape, I said, ‘That’s not Biden, I know that,’” Graham said, adding that lawmakers would not “try” Hegseth based on “press statements,” apparently incorrectly referring to the police report .
When told by NBC News that the allegations against Hegseth were contained in a police report and not detailed in a media statement, Graham said, “I don’t care.”
Two other candidates for top positions in Trump’s Cabinet also faced potentially damaging allegations of sexual misconduct.
Vanity Fair reported in July on claims from a woman who was hired in the late 1990s to work as a babysitter for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services, saying he had groped her while she was at work. for Kennedy and his wife.
Kennedy responded to the accusation last summer, saying, “I said in my announcement speech that I have so many skeletons in my closet that if they could all vote, I could run for king of the world.”
Former Florida lawmaker Matt Gaetz withdrew his name Thursday amid allegations that he had sex with a minor and paid two other women for sex in 2017. He has denied the allegations for a long time.
After Gaetz withdrew his name, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told NBC News that there were “similar, challenging allegations” with Hegseth.
“I look forward to seeing how these are answered,” Coons said.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., urged that the Senate vetting process continue despite the accusations against Trump’s nominees, saying, “Let’s go through the committee process here.”
“Obviously Gaetz ultimately decided he didn’t want to go through the process,” Hawley said. “But you know, if you have a nominee who wants that, I would say: let him be. Let him testify, and let’s not make judgments or draw conclusions until they have had a chance to testify and address these concerns.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
