‘I Am Not Done!’ CNN NewsNight Segment About Pete Hegseth Allegations Turns Into a Trainwreck 

A discussion about an explosive report on Pete Hegseth predictably went off the rails on Monday’s CNN NewsNight.

At issue was a report about Hegseth, whom President-elect Donald Trump nominated as Secretary of Defense. A former Fox News host, Hegseth has faced scrutiny over a 2017 rape allegation investigated by police in Monterey, California. Hegseth paid the woman an undisclosed sum of money, but denies any wrongdoing. No charges were filed.

On Sunday, The New Yorker published a report by Jane Mayer that contained a series of allegations about Hegseth being repeatedly drunk at work events and his behavior toward women. The piece claims that while running Concerned Veterans for America, Hegseth fostered a culture of sexism and used donor money for “partying” and “hookups.” It also quotes a source who said Hegseth drunkenly yelled, “Kill all Muslims!” while at a hotel bar in Ohio. The story contains several alleged instances where Hegseth was intoxicated to the point of requiring assistance.

Appearing on CNN NewsNight, former Rep. Scott Taylor, who revealed he knows Hegseth personally, slammed the report, calling it “offensive.” He particularly objected to Mayer’s use of anonymous sources, a common journalistic practice. Fellow panelist Leigh McGowan briefly attempted to summarize some of the charges people have made against Hegseth.

“There’s a lot of things that Pete has allegedly done,” she said. “And whether it is that he’s stolen from the organizations he’s run, or he has endless drunken escapades, or he has White nationalist tattoos, or he’s raped women–”

“Oh my God,” Taylor interjected. “You just gonna sit here and defame the dude?”

“No,” she replied. “That’s all reported. But here’s what I’m saying. The biggest thing people need to understand–”

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” Taylor replied.

Host Abby Phillip jumped to clarify that Hegseth was accused of mismanaging his former organization’s money, not stealing from it.

McGowan took the point and resumed her case against the nominee:

MCGOWAN: So, I would say the biggest thing to remember is that the Secretary of Defense is involved in every issue of our national security.

TAYLOR: [audible laugh]

MCGOWAN: I don’t know why you’re laughing. Involved in the use of nuclear weapons, sending our troops into combat, approving drone strikes. There are literally life and death issues in the hands of the U.S. Secretary of Defense every day. And on the alcohol alone, you cannot give someone a job like that who has a drinking problem, someone who might be incapacitated for multiple reasons–

TAYLOR: You’re gonna continue to defame the guy. You don’t know him. You don’t know if he has a drinking problem. What he said, what he said–

MCGOWAN: I’m not his best friend, which you apparently are. But what I’m saying is this is a huge job that–

[CROSSTALK]

MCGOWAN: I am not done! I am not done!

PHILLIP: Please stop. Hold on. Leigh, just stop for a second… Let’s just clear the decks for one second so that we can all stop talking at the same time, and you can continue. Go ahead.

MCGOWAN: It is not partisan to say that Pete can’t do this job. It is practical. It is about keeping the country safe. It is about the safety of our troops. He is being hired, he is being potentially hired to run the world’s largest and most lethal military force. You cannot play games with that. And this man has too many skeletons in his closet to put him in charge of such a large organization.

Watch above via CNN.