Defiant Pete Hegseth Ramps Up Social Media Use After Sexual Assault Allegation Probe Bombshell, Vows Pentagon DEI Reform Is ‘Coming Soon’
Pete Hegseth/Instagram
Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth spent Friday afternoon and early Saturday active on his X/Twitter page after he was nominated to run the Pentagon and it was revealed he was party to a sexual assault investigation in California in 2017.
Hegseth was not charged with a crime and the nature of the allegation remains shrouded in mystery. But the 44-year-old had been relatively quiet online since President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would tap the combat veteran to run the Defense Department.
That all changed to begin the weekend – days after his expected nomination drew outrage from the left and took some conservatives by surprise.
After it was announced the Minnesota National Guard major had been selected to join Trump’s cabinet, he reposted congratulatory messages from Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), podcaster Tim Pool, his former Fox News colleague Will Cain, and Elon Musk.
His online activity ceased on Wednesday and on Friday morning it was reported Hegseth was investigated in an alleged sexual assault incident at a Monterey, California, hotel where he had addressed a GOP women’s group. CBS News reported:
In response to multiple public record requests to the city, including one from CBS News, officials released a public statement late Thursday evening about a 2017 police investigation into Hegseth. The statement from the City Manager’s Office and Monterey Police Department contained few details about the case and said they would not make any other public statements related to the investigation.
The incident allegedly occurred somewhere between a minute before midnight on Oct. 7, 2017 and 7 a.m. on Oct. 8, 2017 at 1 Old Golf Course Road, the location of the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel. A police report was filed with Monterey Police Department three days later, on Oct. 12, 2017.
Police did not disclose the name or age of the alleged victim but did describe the injuries as “Contusions to right thigh.”
Hegseth did not address the investigation or doubts about his qualifications to run the Pentagon online. But he signaled late Friday he would allow the confirmation process to play out in the Senate and appeared to believe he would be confirmed.
The former TV host shared a tweet from JD Vance, who unloaded on the Associated Press over a tweet connecting one of Hegseth’s many tattoos to “White supremacists.” The tattoo in question is a “Deus Vult” cross that many Christians associate with travel to Israel.
Hegseth replied to Vance, “Amen @JDVance. Anti-Christian bigotry in the media on full display. They can target me — I don’t give a damn — but this type of targeting of Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday Americans will stop on DAY ONE at DJT’s DoD.”
Hegseth’s tattoos have been displayed on his Instagram account for years without controversy:
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Hegseth also shared a defense of him from former NFL star Jack Brewer. Brewer lashed out at former NAACP Legal Defense Fund president Sherriln Ifill who referred to Hegseth as a “known White Supremacist” during an MSNBC interview with Chris Hayes.
He shared similar posts from Fox News stars Rachel Campos-Duffy and Joey Jones before responding to posts about ridding the DoD of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
In a response to an anecdote about gender pronouns in the Air Force from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Hegseth vowed he would intervene in the months to come.
Lee posted:
I recently spoke with the father of a U.S. Air Force Academy cadet
He told me that the Air Force Academy’s official forms refer to him (the cadet’s father) as the cadet’s “non-birthing parent,” and to his wife (the cadet’s mother) as the cadet’s non-birthing parent”
Thoughts?
Hegseth replied, “Not for long.”
Hegseth then shared two private messages – one from a parent and another from a godparent – which contained claims his Pentagon nomination eased reservations their children had expressed about military service.
He commented, “Been getting a lot of these. Honored. America’s warriors demand — and deserve — strength in the White House and at DoD. Coming soon.”
Multiple outlets, including CNN, reported Friday that controversy surrounding Hegseth might have caught Trump’s transition team off guard. Some even speculated the former Fox News mainstay would remove himself from consideration for a top White House cabinet post.
Hegseth’s social media activity Friday into Saturday morning implied anything but a retreat and instead carried a tone of defiance.
Trump said of Hegseth on Wednesday, “Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”
