Are the respective sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations against Donald Trump appointees Pete Hegseth and Matt Gaetz serious enough to derail their confirmations?
That’s the question MSNBC host Chris Jansing posed on Monday to a panel that included Elise Jordan, a former White House aide to President George W. Bush. She replied that candidates with possible legal issues could be “an easy mark for foreign governments and foreign spy agencies.”
“I think it still does matter at the end of the day, these are very horrific allegations,” Jordan said, referring to the charges against Secretary of Defense nominee Hegseth, who is accused of drugging and assaulting a woman in 2017; and Attorney General pick Gaetz, who may still face fallout from a House Ethics Committee investigation even after his resignation last week.
Hegseth’s lawyer told Washington Post political investigative reporter Josh Dawsey that his client has “done nothing wrong” on Saturday, even though he acknowledged that the weekend former Fox News host had paid an undisclosed settlement to a woman during “the height of the #MeToo movement.”
“Frankly, there is a reason that there’s a full background investigation to make sure that you’re not an easy mark for foreign governments and foreign spy agencies,” Jordan explained. “This isn’t just about morality. This is about national security at the highest level and checking if and vetting if these candidates have the personal willpower and the right frame of mind to hold these very high offices.”
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said earlier on “Meet the Press” that he considered Hegseth “a good pick for this position” and that he still “absolutely” planned to confirm him after the rape allegation surfaced. “I start with that, but can I be moved off of that? Yes,” he noted.
Mullin, a frequent critic of Gaetz, has also walked back his issues with the former Florida rep after Trump announced his pick for Attorney General.
