Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
The private life of Pete Hegseth has come under scrutiny following President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to nominate the former Fox & Friends Weekend co-host for the top cabinet position of Defense Secretary.
A close inspection of Hegseth’s private behavior reveals years of poor decision making, a character so entirely bereft of morals and ignorant (or proudly defiant) of societal norms, that his nomination should be immediately withdrawn. Pundits across the partisan spectrum should shout for this to happen, for one basic reason: character matters.
I’ve long held the position that the private lives of politicians is not something that should be exploited unless there is an evident hypocrisy at play. The public is not privy to 90% of any marriage, nor should it be. Presuming everything is done between consenting adults, who am I, or anyone else, to judge?
We knew, already, that the thrice-married Hegseth had cheated on all three of his wives. We knew he had a baby with his current wife while he was married
What we did not know is the extent of a sexual assault allegation against Hegseth from 2017, which revealed in a full police report obtained by Mediaite on Wednesday night.
Hegseth has denied that allegation, and he was never charged with a crime. According to his accuser, Hegseth raped her early in the morning on October 8, 2017 at a Hyatt hotel in Monterey on the final night of a Republican women’s conference.
We would only find that out after Hegseth was nominated to run the Pentagon. At the time, however (two weeks after the alleged assault), I wrote a report detailing Hegseth’s meteoric rise to the top of Fox News, where he had become one of newly-elected President Trump’s favorite faces. The story was pegged to an Instagram photo of Trump dining privately with Hegseth and former Navy Seal Rob O’Neil.
Also featured in that photo is Jennifer Rauchet. At the time, she served as executive producer of Watters World on Fox, having been moved out of her job producing Fox & Friends after she and Hegseth informed the network that she was pregnant with his child. Hegseth and Rauchet are now married
Mediaite has learned that Hegseth, who is married, and Rauchet had a baby in August after rumors circulated for months that the two were having a secret affair. Mediaite cannot confirm if Hegseth’s divorce to his wife is yet finalized, though it is our understanding from a source close to the situation that it is “very nearly” completed. We understand that Rauchet has also filed for divorce from her husband and that Rauchet and Hegseth currently share the same apartment. She also has children from her current husband.Hegseth is a bright and rising star at Fox News, and has been afforded the rare opportunity to interview President Trump when other more stalwart news anchors (such as Bret Baier) have had their presidential interview requests ignored. It’s been quite a rise to fame for Hegseth, who was previously best known for an axe-throwing incident that nearly killed a drum corps member, the clip of which quickly went viral.Hegseth, a strong conservative voice who often speaks of homespun values that appeal to the God-fearing Middle American audience that regularly tunes into Fox & Friends in droves, has three children with his wife Samantha Hegseth, with whom he has been married for seven years.
For those finding it difficult to keep track, Rauchet is Hegseth’s third wife. She is also the third wife Hegseth cheated on, two of them after they
It certainly doesn’t matter when one considers the Monterey police report. The report does not mean anything other than that Hegseth was accused and that the claims were investigated. But even if we accept Hegseth’s version of events, the police report reveals a man who cheated on his third wife while she was home nursing their newborn baby. Two other women interviewed by police also said Hegseth touched their legs and invited them back to his room.
Hegseth later paid his accuser as part of a nondisclosure agreement. Fox News has publicly stated that they were unaware of the settlement.
It is in this maelstrom that Hegseth begins the arduous process of trying to convince the Senate that he can lead the government’s largest agency, that he is a man of high moral rectitude, and that he is capable of making just decisions that will have life-or-death consequences for the millions serving in the military.
Despite these recent allegations, the Trump transition team continues to defend their pick for secretary of defense. Trump’s incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the New York Times that “the report corroborates what Mr. Hegseth’s lawyers have maintained: that the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed.
She described Hegseth as a “highly respected combat veteran” and insisted that Trump remains confident in his ability to “honorably serve our country as the secretary of defense.”
These are, of course, talking points designed to reassure Senate Republicans. But given the evidence surrounding Hegseth and his shockingly sketchy past, surely there are reasonable GOP leaders who can see that this is not the sort of guy you want anywhere running the military, let alone spending time with your wife or daughter.
Perhaps the nation no longer cares about “family values” or a tradition of keeping one’s wedding vows. We’ve certainly shown as much by electing a president with a profile similar to Hegseth. But it is reasonable to question the moral compass of someone eager to have so much power to oversee the world’s strongest and most lethal military force.
Appointing Hegseth to run the Pentagon will set a dangerously low standard moving forward. It’s time for Republican leaders to step up.