‘He Was Falsely Accused!’ GOP Senator Defends Pete Hegseth in Heated Clash With CNN’s Dana Bash
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R) aggressively defended Pete Hegseth on CNN Sunday, cutting in on Dana Bash as she tried to read excerpts of the 2017 police report alleging sexual assault.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and military veteran, was nominated by President-Elect Donald Trump to serve as the new administration’s defense secretary.
“Dana, Dana, if we’re going to get into that, let’s talk about the whole police report,” Mullin interrupted.
MULLIN: First of all, the police report, if you look at it, it’s very clear that what Pete was saying, what his attorney was saying was accurate. there was no case here. He was falsely accused! If you go back and you read the report, there was two eyewitnesses said that she was being the aggressor — Pete wasn’t even flirting with her. He was flirting with a different girl. And the other girl was trying to flirt with Pete. The Jane Doe here, that is unmentioned.
They also said that she was holding his arm as they were leaving and that Pete was intoxicated and the Jane Doe was not. They obviously said, multiple people said, that she was aggressively, to the point of aggressively, used the word “aggressively flirting towards him” when they were in the courtyard, when the hotel staff —
BASH: OK, Senator, Senator, I was going to — Senator —
MULLIN: Well, I’m just saying that you told one part of this, Dana, that wasn’t accurate.
BASH: I know, I wasn’t, I wasn’t, I wasn’t done! I wasn’t done. I wasn’t done. You’re giving his side and it was definitely the police report, is definitely what she said and what he said. You’re absolutely right. I hadn’t gotten there, but I appreciate you giving that other side for me.
So I guess that just kind of answers the question, which is, from your perspective, you believe his part of the story and not hers.
MULLIN: I absolutely do! He wasn’t charged. He wasn’t even kind of charged. There was no crime committed.
According to Hegseth’s attorney, the Fox News host did not admit to any wrongdoing but did pay a “confidential financial settlement” to the accuser in order to keep his job.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
