Pete Hegseth's path to becoming secretary of defense has seen multiple obstacles, including a 2017 sexual assault allegation and an unflattering email from his own mother. On the latter, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham says Hegseth is ready to make a big move—releasing his accuser in that case from her nondisclosure deal. "He told me he would release her from that agreement," the South Carolina senator told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, per Politico. "Just think about what we're talking about—I'd want to know if anybody nominated for a high-level job in Washington legitimately assaulted somebody."
Graham added that "the Pete Hegseth I know, this is not a problem I've been aware of," per the Hill. Still, Graham noted that if claims like those from the 2017 case are to be made, the accuser should come forward publicly. He compared the commotion swirling around Hegseth, who has insisted the sexual encounter between him and the unnamed woman was consensual, to the controversy over Brett Kavanaugh's 2018 Supreme Court confirmation. "We're not going to let that happen to Pete," Graham said, per Politico. "You're not going to destroy his nomination based on anonymous sources."
Graham said that right now he's leaning toward a "yes" vote on Hegseth, though he conceded that the allegations against the Trump nominee are "disturbing." Timothy Parlatore, an attorney for Hegseth, told CNN earlier this month that his client had agreed to the nondisclosure agreement and settlement with the woman only because he was afraid that a public accusation would get him fired from his Fox News hosting gig, per the New York Times. "If people have an allegation to make, come forward and make it," Graham said Sunday. "We'll decide whether or not it's credible. Right now he's being tried by anonymous sources. That will not stand." (More Pete Hegseth stories.)
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