Trump’s transition team was blindsided by Hegseth’s claim

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team was in the process of announcing new Cabinet picks this week when they were made aware of a sexual assault allegation about one of his previous selections, Pete Hegseth, leading to the removal of several members of Trump’s team baffled who have since raised questions about the viability of his appointment, according to two people close to the situation.

Trump had announced he would appoint Hegseth as his next defense secretary after only days of deliberation for the veteran-turned-Fox News host and very little internal vetting. Within 48 hours, the heads of Trump’s transition team received a complaint alleging sexual abuse against Hegseth.

The campaign received information consistent 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 around the time the alleged attack occurred, according to photos of the event posted on Facebook. Hegseth has not been charged in any criminal case or named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed in Monterey County since 2017, and his attorney denied any wrongdoing.

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

Hegseth was never vetted by an outside firm before being announced. Some people who previously worked for Trump when he was last in office and briefly considered Hegseth to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs noted that it was short-lived for similar reasons, without providing details.

One source emphasized 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 accusation has only further roiled Hegseth’s already shaky choice to lead the largest agency in the federal government, with millions of military and civilian personnel and a budget of more than $800 billion. There was open speculation in Trump’s inner circle on Friday about whether Hegseth would ultimately secure his own nomination, with several people concerned that more damaging information could emerge.

The president-elect’s choice this week of Hegseth, a candidate with no senior military or public office experience, to serve as defense secretary 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 “vehemently denied all allegations and no charges have been filed.”

“We look forward to his appointment as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get to work on day one to make America safe and great again,” said Steven Cheung.

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