The Shady Side Of Former Fox News Host Pete Hegseth

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This article contains references to sexual assault, substance misuse, and mentions of racism.

President Donald Trump's top pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, raised eyebrows as he vied to successfully clinch the position. After his nomination, Hegseth found himself battling back against accusations of rampant misconduct stemming from his time spent working for Concerned Veterans for America and Fox News. In his quest to make it to the Pentagon, Hegseth did his best to meet with senators and previous coworkers to push the narrative that he is a wholesome man capable of handling the job. However, not everyone was willing to believe that Hegseth lacks a shady side.

Hegseth isn't the first pick from Trump that drew controversy. Former Florida congressman and potential plastic surgery misfire, Matt Gaetz, stepped back from his attorney general nomination under a slew of sexual misconduct accusations. When Hegseth also came under fire, his previous Fox News coworkers started coming to his defense. 

During a "Fox & Friends" segment on December 4, co-host Brian Kilmeade bravely swung hard for his friend by saying, "[Hegseth] knows his stuff, he's got the vision, he fought in the wars" (via CNN). Although Hegseth is a veteran and former Army National Guard member who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, he can't seem to shake his shady reputation. We've rounded up some of the major reasons why everyone is in a frenzy over some of Hegseth's more scandalous deeds.

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Many old coworkers of Pete Hegseth have come forward with concerns about his alcohol consumption. Hegseth responded by promising he would remain sober, should he be granted the position of defense secretary. A timeline of complaints lodged at Hegseth from previous coworkers suggests a struggle to do so in the past. 

According to The New Yorker, there were multiple intoxicated incidents at Concerned Veterans for America during Hegseth's tenure, including one where he tried to rush the stage at a strip club. This habit extended into Hegseth's employment at Fox News as well. According to NBC News, a former employee said, "We'd have to call [Hegseth] to make sure he didn't oversleep because we knew he'd be out partying the night before." Plus, there was the time Hegseth reportedly got so drunk at a wedding for a Fox News host he couldn't stand up straight, per The New York Times. Sources who spoke to The Washington Post also mentioned a St. Patrick's Day "Fox & Friends Weekend" episode where Hegseth polished off an entire pack of beer at 10 a.m. — one of many scandals surrounding Fox News.

For his part, Hegseth sat down for an interview on "The Megyn Kelly Show" to state, "I never had a drinking problem." However, the message got muddled when later in the interview he seemingly blamed his drinking habits on trauma from serving in the military, claiming that to deal with the pain, "Sometimes it's with a bottle." He also credited his current wife Jennifer Rauchet and his faith for setting him on a better path. However, his sobriety might have come too late, as his drinking habits may have contributed to some of the more salacious accusations against him.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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Possibly the shadiest thing swirling around Pete Hegseth is the alleged sexual assault of a woman in a hotel back in 2017. Hegseth was a speaker for the California Federation of Republican Women convention, and after the event, he was mingling and drinking with several attendees. The woman, who is referred to as Jane Doe in the report, was seen talking with Hegseth in the hotel bar before departing with him. 

Doe believes she was drugged, as her memory of the night was hazy, with multiple witnesses claiming she appeared sober for most of the evening. According to the police report obtained by CNN, Doe did remember "saying 'no' a lot," during her encounter with Hegseth. She also alleges he took her phone and blocked her from leaving his room.

Hegseth has vehemently denied these allegations, consistently claiming that what happened between himself and Doe was consensual and that he made sure she "was comfortable with what was going on between the two of them." Monterey County police never officially charged Hegseth with a crime, and he and Doe settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money. As part of the court settlement, Doe had to sign an NDA, which is seemingly why a friend felt compelled to leak this story on her behalf. Regardless of what happened that night, Hegseth was participating in a favorite shady pastime of his: committing adultery.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

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Pete Hegseth has a sordid history when it comes to dating. When The New York Times revealed that Pete's mother, Penelope Hegseth, had sent him an email back in 2018 that detailed a history of what she perceived to be abuse against the women he dated, the internet went wild. The email was in response to Pete's affair with his now-wife, Jennifer Rauchet. He and Rauchet had a child out of wedlock when Pete was still married to his ex-wife Samantha Deering. Of note, he and Deering got together while he was still married to his first wife, Meredith Schwarz. In fact, Pete has admitted to having multiple affairs while married to Schwarz. There's a clear pattern of behavior Pete seems to follow.

For her part, Penelope has backtracked from the scathing contents of her 2018 email. She appeared on "Fox & Friends" on December 4 to remind everyone she has since apologized and changed her tune when it comes to her feelings towards Pete. "We all believe in him. We really believe that he is not that man he was seven years ago," Penelope told the hosts. Since marrying Rauchet, Pete has seemed to mellow out. Perhaps he's put his cheating ways behind him, but only time will tell.

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When Pete Hegseth was ousted from Concerned Veterans for America, he was granted a hefty severance payment, as well as rumors of why he was asked to go. One of the alleged reasons he was asked to leave CVA was a history of financial mismanagement. Even though Hegseth signed a non-disclosure agreement when he departed, several sources spoke with CBS News about the way in which money was handled under Hegseth's tenure. According to tax records from the years Hegseth was in charge, CVA consistently spent more money than it had. However, even with consistent shortfalls, Hegseth still managed to receive raises, with his salary growing each year.

Before working at CVA, Hegseth was in charge of Vets for Freedom, where similar financial chaos ensued. Hegseth was consistently over budget and even once took out a loan to give the organization an emergency infusion of cash. Margaret Hoover, a former adviser for VFF, told CNN that by the time Hegseth left there was barely any budget to work with. Hoover also expressed doubt that Hegseth is qualified for the position of defense secretary, saying, "I don't know how he's going to run an organization with an $857 billion budget, and 3 million individuals, based on what I saw in those years." But it's not just financial woes that surround Hegseth; there's also a history of sexism and racism that follows him.

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While Pete Hegseth's transformation from military man to Fox News host has appeared seamless, a rude attitude seems to still linger. According to The New Yorker, a previous Concerned Veterans for America coworker found Hegseth's sexist and licentious behavior so troublesome that they took action. This anonymous source claims to have sent an email to management referencing a lack in professionalism and an attitude of treating women unfairly. This sentiment is backed up by the fact that Hegseth has publicly claimed he believes women should not serve in the military in a combat capacity, which is more or less classic sexism.

However, there was an even more concerning report from an incident in 2015. A CVA employee wrote a letter to management detailing an incident where Hegseth chanted a racist slogan while on a work trip. According to the complaint, while at a bar in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Hegseth began chanting "Kill All Muslims!" in what the complaint alleges was "a drunk and violent manner." While this incident was a long time ago, it does not excuse the behavior and raises the question of whether or not Hegseth truly is qualified for the position of defense secretary. It certainly made it look like he would have an uphill battle to get the votes needed for his confirmation. Hopefully he can continue to prove that he's changed his ways and will work to improve himself for the future.