Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday mentioned former Fox News host and Pentagon secretary nominee Pete Hegseth would quickly launch a girl who accused him of sexual assault from a non-disclosure settlement.
“He informed me he would launch her from that settlement,” Graham said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“Yeah, I imply, simply take into consideration what we’re speaking about. I’d need to know if anyone nominated for a high-level job in Washington legitimately assaulted anyone,” Graham added.
Hegseth, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump final month, has been dogged by a collection of surprising allegations about his habits. An unnamed lady filed a police report after she claimed Hegseth assaulted her at a Republican convention in California in 2017. Hegseth has confused no prices had been filed within the matter and maintained the pair had a consensual encounter.
He paid the woman an undisclosed sum in a settlement in 2023 which included a non-disclosure clause. Tim Parlatore, a lawyer for Hegseth, claimed earlier this month he believed the unnamed lady had already damaged the settlement and threatened her with defamation proceedings.
Different reviews included claims that Hegseth was forced to resign from two veteran teams amid allegations of monetary mismanagement. One other report included accounts claiming he usually confirmed as much as work at Fox Information smelling like alcohol. Representatives for Hegseth have denied the reviews, though the person said he would give up alcohol if he’s confirmed to steer the Protection Division.
“I’m not going to have a drink in any respect. It’s not exhausting for me, as a result of it’s not an issue for me,” he mentioned earlier this month on “The Megyn Kelly Present.”
Graham mentioned Sunday he was in “an excellent place with Pete” regardless of these accounts, “except one thing I don’t find out about comes out.”
“These allegations are disturbing, however they’re nameless,” the senator mentioned. “He’s given me his facet of the story. It is smart to me. I consider him. Except anyone is prepared to come back ahead, I feel he’s going to get by way of.”
“Keep in mind, [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh,” Graham went on. “5 folks accused Justice Kavanaugh of misconduct. Three had been outright lies. The opposite two, I feel, weren’t credible.”
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Earlier this month Trump was reportedly considering changing Hegseth with different, safer selections together with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Invoice Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
