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.
Hegseth wasn’t ever vetted by an outside firm before he was announced. Some people who previously worked for Trump when he was last in office and briefly considered Hegseth to run the Department of Veterans Affairs noted it was short-lived for similar reasons, without citing specifics.
One source insisted that despite the surprise, the president-elect and the transition team were moving forward with the nomination at this time.
Trump’s transition team caught off guard by Hegseth allegation
