Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary, is facing explosive allegations of drunken sexual misconduct, reported by a never-before-seen whistleblower report detailing claims of a toxic work environment at the organizations he led.
The report, compiled by CVA employees, was sent to senior management in February 2015. According to the report, Hegseth, who led Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) from 2013 to 2016, fostered a culture of sexism, objectification, and sexual harassment in the workplace.
The allegations against Hegseth are described as follows:
1. A November 2014 event in Louisiana, during which Hegseth became so intoxicated at a strip club that he had to be restrained from joining the dancers on stage. A female CVA associate had to intervene with security to prevent him from getting thrown out.
2. An alleged attempt to rape a female staffer by another male staff member at the same strip club.
3. A May 2015 event in Ohio, where Hegseth and another person yelled “Kill All Muslims” multiple times, in a drunken and violent manner, at a hotel bar.
4. A report that Hegseth sexually pursued female staff members, categorizing them into “party girls” and “not party girls.”
5. The use of donor funds for “partying” and “hookups,” with CVA’s finances being treated as a “personal expense account” by Hegseth.
These allegations have raised concerns about Hegseth’s fitness for public office, with critics arguing that his history of misconduct and mismanagement disqualifies him from leading the Department of Defense.