Did Donald Trump want to go too quickly in revealing the names of his next administration? While the inauguration of the president-elect will not take place until January 20, revelations call into question his choice for the Pentagon.
Chosen on Tuesday to head the US Department of Defense, Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth was in fact accused in 2017 of sexual assault, according to the police.
Bruises on one thigh of the alleged victim
However, no complaint was filed in this affair, which however shook the president-elect's transition team when they learned about it through the press, reported Vanity Fair. To the point of re-examining the surprise decision to appoint the 44-year-old former soldier as head of the Pentagon, according to the magazine. This presenter on the favorite channel of American conservatives would be responsible for leading the first military force in the world despite his lack of experience in managing large organizations.
Police in Monterey, California, confirmed Thursday that they investigated “an alleged sexual assault” at a hotel in October 2017 involving Pete Hegseth. Bruises were visible on the alleged victim's right thigh, police said.
Pete Hegseth's attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told Vanity Fair that this accusation had “already been the subject of an investigation by the Monterey police” and that they had “found no evidence”. The communications director of Donald Trump's campaign team, Steven Cheung, for his part indicated that the presenter had “vigorously denied all accusations”. “No complaint has been filed,” added the future White House communications director, affirming “to look forward to his nomination being confirmed” by the Senate.
A passage that promises to be difficult before Congress
Donald Trump's choice to appoint this television figure to head a ministry with 3.4 million soldiers and civilian employees and a staggering budget of more than 850 billion dollars annually hit the headlines in Washington, and the debates in the Senate on his confirmation promise to be heated despite the Republican majority in Congress. In recent positions, Pete Hegseth, a Princeton and Harvard graduate, has denounced progressive tendencies within the US military and further opposes the presence of women in combat troops.
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