CNN: Trump’s Team Caught Off Guard by Hegseth Allegation

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team was in the middle of announcing new Cabinet picks this week when they were informed of a sexual assault allegation about one of his previous selections, Pete Hegseth, stunning several members of Trump’s team who have since raised questions about the viability of his nomination, according to CNN citing two people close to the situation.

Trump had announced he was tapping Hegseth as his next secretary of defense after only days of considering the veteran-turned-Fox News host and very little internal vetting. Within 48 hours, the heads of Trump’s transition team were brought a complaint about a sexual assault allegation regarding Hegseth.

The campaign was brought information that aligns with what Monterey, California, police described as an investigation into “an alleged sexual assault” involving Hegseth on October 8, 2017.

Hegseth was a speaker at a conference held by the California Federation of Republican Women at a hotel during the timeframe when the alleged assault took place, according to photos of the event posted on Facebook. Hegseth has not been charged in any criminal case or named as a defendant in any civil lawsuit filed in Monterey County since 2017, and his attorney denied any wrongdoing.

But the nature of the allegations caused incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles to question Hegseth during a call Thursday, a source told CNN. Wiles asked Hegseth if there were any other issues the team should be aware of moving forward. One source insisted that despite the surprise, the president-elect and the transition team were moving forward with the nomination at this time.

Meanwhile, The Associated Press reports Hegseth was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow Army National Guard member due to a tattoo on his bicep that’s associated with white supremacist groups.

Hegseth has said he was pulled by his District of Columbia National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration. He’s said he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest.

This week, however, a fellow Guard member who was the unit’s security manager and on an anti-terrorism team at the time, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leadership flagging a different tattoo reading “Deus Vult” that’s been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an “Insider Threat.”