Old allegations of assault that went nowhere, rumors and innuendo hinting at sexual misconduct and substance abuse – no, Matt Gaetz isn’t back in the spotlight. This time, it’s all about Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense. Like many of the president-elect’s recent nominees, scandal and accusations immediately surrounded Hegseth seemingly from the moment his name was announced.
A look back through recent years does show a personal life in turmoil. There’s a messy divorce following at least one episode of infidelity. Then there are rumors of drinking on the job and an allegation of sexual assault from several years ago that was investigated but didn’t result in enough evidence for any charges. How much of that is true, and how much is pure fiction? Either way, all that baggage aside, one must wonder if the current outrage in the news is really about Pete Hegseth or if he’s merely the Trump pick next in line for a good media smear campaign.
The Media Millstone
Does Pete Hegseth stand a chance at getting confirmed in light of all the controversy now splattered across the news cycle? It depends on who you ask. The left-wing establishment press had wall-to-wall coverage this week featuring allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct (mostly from unnamed sources), and even one claim of outright sexual assault. By Tuesday, rumors wafted across the internet that Hegseth couldn’t get the votes in the Senate and that President-elect Trump was considering replacing him with Ron DeSantis – yet again largely by anonymous sources.
Breitbart, on the other hand, reported Thursday, December 5, that Hegseth was “shoring up support from key Republican senators.” Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) seems to think he’ll do just fine. “I think he articulates a good vision, a strong vision for the Department of Defense, which I think is in need of some modernization and reform,” Thune told reporters. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-LA), who will lead the committee responsible for sending Hegseth’s nomination to the full Senate for a floor vote, told NBC News: “I don’t see any obstacles that can’t be overcome.”
The same day Breitbart highlighted these quotes, numerous other, less Trump-friendly outlets were still claiming – and, again, citing mostly anonymous sources – that Hegseth’s ship had sunk. Some still float DeSantis as the likely nominee once Hegseth either bows out or fails to impress the Senate. Neither Trump nor DeSantis have acknowledged those rumors as true. In the world of politics, that could mean anything from it’s a load of hogwash to it’s true, but no one’s going to admit it until the appropriate time.
Hegseth, however, isn’t giving up. He has denied the allegations of nonconsensual sexual encounters and alcoholic issues and even announced Wednesday that he spoke to Trump and still has the president-elect’s full backing. “I spoke to the president this morning. (Trump) supports me fully. We’re not going anywhere,” he told the BBC. That media millstone may have sunk Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination, but so far, Hegseth refuses to go under.
Who’s the Real Problem for the Press – Pete Hegseth or Donald Trump?
On December 4, ABC News ran a story titled “Trump’s controversial Cabinet picks raise questions about lower ethical standards.” The article compares Hegseth and other Trump picks to other nominees from the past who fell to “much smaller-scale scandals.” ABC’s story serves as both an inside view of how the left sees Trump’s nominees and to highlight the flaw in their logic.
Ronald Reagan’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Douglas Ginsburg, admitted to smoking marijuana when he was young, and it cost him a seat on the High Court. But he admitted to having done it.
Bill Clinton’s choice for health and human services secretary, former Senate Democrat Tom Daschle, “had to bow out after it was revealed he didn’t pay taxes for the use of a car and driver.” Note how ABC says it was revealed, not that he was accused.
The Trump nominees facing major allegations of substance abuse, sexual misconduct, and, in some cases, even sexual assault have been accused only – and they’ve denied the allegations. Accused and denied vs admitted or “revealed.” Investigated and dropped without charges vs convicted or even charged. Is the difference clear now? The problem with the older nominees isn’t that they were accused of a wrongdoing that was somehow lesser than the evils allegedly perpetrated by Trump’s picks but that those wrongs were proven or admitted rather than remaining a matter of speculation and allegation.
Hegseth is far from the only Trump nominee the establishment media seems to be gunning for, either. The aforementioned Matt Gaetz faced similar accusations, and he withdrew his name from consideration for the US attorney general post. His replacement, former Florida AG Pam Bondi, was immediately portrayed by the press as a corrupt Trump crony with ties to foreign interests. Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard now faces media scrutiny as Trump’s director of national intelligence nominee for a 2017 visit with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and, more recently, her opinion of the war in Ukraine. Note the progressive media didn’t take issue with her when she was a Democratic representative in the US House – but now that she’s a Republican and a Donald Trump nominee, she’s reportedly seen as a “Russian asset” by some in the Senate. That is, of course, according to an unnamed aide. Republican and Democratic senators alike have publicly rejected the idea that she’s compromised, whether they’ll support her or not.
Matt Gaetz, Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabard – they’ve all faced what certainly appears to be a coordinated media smear campaign designed to discredit them. So has Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Trump’s choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, and Kash Patel, the president-elect’s pick for FBI director. In fact, it might be easier to compile a list of Trump nominees not slammed by the progressive press – it would certainly be shorter. Does this mean the once and future president is just terrible at picking allies, or could it be that it’s the man doing the picking the media can’t stand?
