“The Hegseth Police Records Are Really Bad and Disturbing”: Allegations Against Trump Defense Secretary Pick Shock Nation

A California woman’s allegations that she was sexually assaulted and trapped in a hotel room by President-elect Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth have sent shockwaves across the country. The revelations, detailed in a police report unveiled by CNN, paint a troubling picture of the nominee’s past behavior. The report includes allegations that the woman, who settled with Hegseth, recalled repeatedly saying, “No,” during the incident.

Sam Stein, managing editor of The Bulwark, described the police records as “really bad and disturbing,” criticizing those inclined to dismiss the case. “If the inclination is to say—ah well, it’s a he-said-she-said scenario—then it’s not clear what type of contemporaneous accounts and evidence will ever convince you that your guy did something wrong,” he said.

The 22-page report stems from a nurse’s alert to police about the woman’s case. It includes accounts of Hegseth’s alleged aggressive behavior toward hotel staff around the time of the incident. Conservative commentator Tim Miller highlighted the behavior in scathing terms. “Perfect MAGA scene,” Miller wrote. “The twice-divorced Sec. Def nominee shouting down a woman by the pool at 1:30 a.m. and then berating hotel staff about having fReeDom oF sPEEch when they tell him to chill out.”

Hegseth’s attorneys confirmed a financial settlement was made with the woman but denied the allegations. Despite the denials, the controversy adds to a troubling pattern among Trump’s Cabinet nominees. Other nominees have faced allegations of sexual misconduct, including Matt Gaetz, accused of having sex with a minor, and Linda McMahon, accused of covering up child sex abuse within WWE.

Trump’s pick for Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has faced allegations of sexually abusing his children’s babysitter. The president-elect himself has a controversial history. He was found liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s, resulting in a $5 million judgment. In 2016, leaked footage revealed Trump bragging about his ability to grope women due to his celebrity status.

Political commentators have not minced words about the implications. Huffington Post White House correspondent S.V. Dáte remarked, “Doesn’t this make Hegseth even more of a star in Trump’s America?” Former White House ethics attorney Richard W. Painter criticized the apparent hypocrisy of Senate Democrats, noting, “Sanctimonious Senate Democrats who threw [Al Franken] under the bus over far less will probably now watch every one of these cabinet members get confirmed by Republicans.” As the controversy unfolds, CNN’s Ann Navarro-Cárdenas stressed the stakes. “We owe it to the millions of men and women who serve in our military, to pay attention to this.”