Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth told Scripps News Tuesday that he “appreciate[s] the opportunity to meet with Senators” but declined to answer multiple questions about the sexual misconduct allegations facing him.
According to a detailed investigative report made public in November, A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. Hegseth told police the incident was consensual.
The incident is one of several that could introduce scandal to Hegseth's confirmation hearing. Last week the New York Times published a letter to Hegseth from his mother Penelope, in which she accused him of being a longtime and repeated abuser of women.
RELATED STORY | Mother of Pete Hegseth reportedly told son he was an 'abuser of women' in email
When contacted by The New York Times, Penelope Hegseth did not deny sending the email but reportedly explained that she wrote it in anger while her son was going through a divorce. She also stated that she later sent her son another email apologizing for her comments, adding, “I know my son. He is a good father and husband.”
The allegations are concerning not just for Democrats but also for some Republicans on the Hill, who have indicated to Scripps News they still want to hear answers from Hegseth directly and through the FBI background check process that cabinet nominees will undergo.
Earlier Tuesday, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) told Scripps News she met with Hegseth earlier this week, but hoped to meet with him again, and ask about some of the most recent allegations made against him. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Republican senators he plans to begin confirming Donald Trump's cabinet on Inauguration Day, January 20th, 2025.
