SC’s Graham dismissive of allegations on Trump’s defense pick he called ‘disturbing’
Within 24 hours, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham did a near reversal of his comments on president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, has been under scrutiny on a series of accusations including sexual assault, sexual misconduct, mismanagement and alcohol abuse. Hegseth has denied the claims made against him, posting on X, “The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth.”
On Tuesday, Graham said Hegseth may have difficulty being confirmed by the Senate and expressed concern about what he had heard of the accusations.
“Some of these articles are very disturbing,” Graham told a CBS reporter Tuesday. “He obviously has a chance to defend himself here but some of this stuff is —it’s going to be difficult. Good order and discipline is important, leadership comes from the top and I want to make sure that every young woman who joins the military feels respected and welcomed.”
The next day, on Fox News, Graham dismissed the allegations.
“The allegations against Pete are all anonymous sources. I am not going to make any decision based on an anonymous source,” Graham said. “If you’re not willing to raise your hand under oath and make the accusation, it doesn’t count.”
He said that he’s “heard everything about all these people,” and “none of it counts, no rumors no innuendo.”
In 2017, Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in California. No criminal charges were brought and Hegseth paid the woman a settlement in 2023. Various media reported she signed a nondisclosure agreement, and is unlikely able to speak about the incident.
Graham has been a critic and close companion to Trump. After he said some of the articles were “disturbing,” related to Hegseth, MAGA supporters went after Graham on social media, calling him names and his disloyalty to the future president.
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 8:54 AM with the headline "SC’s Graham dismissive of allegations on Trump’s defense pick he called ‘disturbing’."