notícias
"Republican Senadores desconsideram alegações de má conduta de Pete Hegseth após reunião"
2024-12-03
Republican senators who had a meeting on Monday with Pete Hegseth, the pick for defense secretary by President-elect Donald Trump, showed little concern for the sexual assault and other allegations against him. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, from Wyoming, regarded the allegations as a "side issue" while praising Hegseth's leadership skills in the Defense Department. She said, "Once again, they are making derogatory remarks about someone who has gained a lot of credibility. Do soldiers sometimes act recklessly? Yes, that can happen. But it is evident that this person is the one who, at a time when Americans are losing faith in their own military and our ability to project strength globally, Pete Hegseth is the solution to that concern." Around 10 to 12 senators from the Republican Steering Committee, a group led by Mike Lee from Utah, met with Hegseth in a closed-door session in the Capitol for less than an hour on Monday. Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News host, has faced several misconduct allegations since being named as Trump's pick for the Defense Department (he has denied any wrongdoing). Most recently, a New Yorker article published on Sunday revealed the details of a previously undisclosed 2015 whistleblower report from a veterans' organization he ran, which claimed he was frequently drunk on the job. NBC News has not verified this report independently. Hegseth's attorney declined to comment. An adviser told The New Yorker that the claims were "ridiculous" and came from a "petty and jealous disgruntled former associate." The Trump transition team referred NBC News to a previous statement in support of Hegseth. Hegseth did not respond to shouted questions from NBC News about the New Yorker article and other allegations. After the meeting, senators gave their full support to Hegseth and downplayed the accusations. Sen. Rick Scott said, "I have known Pete for a while, and in my experience with him, it has always been positive. I think he is clearly committed to ensuring we have a lethal military that terrifies our enemies, is respected by our allies, and is someone our allies can rely on." Lee did not mention whether the senators had discussed the allegations with Hegseth and said they discussed his vision for the Pentagon. Sen. Ted Cruz said the media was "obsessed" with personal allegations against Hegseth and told reporters that each Cabinet nominee will undergo a background check but potentially not by the FBI - a new point of contention among lawmakers, as some Republicans believe the FBI should not be in charge of conducting background checks, going against the usual practice. A woman told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her in 2017 after a Republican women's convention in California, according to official records of a police investigation released last month. Hegseth has denied the accusations and was not charged. He admitted to paying his accuser an undisclosed amount as part of a settlement. Last week, The New York Times reported that Hegseth's mother sent him an email calling him an "abuser of women" during his contentious divorce in 2018. She later told the Times that she regretted the email, which NBC News has not obtained. Hegseth's attorney declined to provide a statement but passed along a statement from the Trump transition team saying, "It is disgraceful but not surprising that the NYT is publishing a story based on one out-of-context snippet from an illegally obtained private conversation between a mother and her son. The whole purpose of this is to slander Mr. Hegseth." Speaking to reporters on Monday after the meeting with Hegseth, Cruz referred to the New York Times story as "shameful." Senators also mentioned Hegseth's ability to increase retention and recruitment levels in the military among young men and women, despite his previous suggestion that women should not serve. When asked about these comments, Lummis said they did not concern her. She said, "I think when he sees fighter pilots who are women and are the best of the best, he might think twice about that." In a podcast interview last month, Hegseth said women should not be allowed to fight on the front lines, claiming their presence has made fighting "more complicated." He said on "The Shawn Ryan Show" podcast last month, "I'm being straightforward and just saying that we should not have women in combat roles." His remarks received immediate backlash from female veterans and service members. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Republican senators' remarks.