Trump cabinet pick Pete Hegseth hit with new allegations of alcohol abuse and misconduct
Washington DC - Donald Trump's cabinet pick, Pete Hegseth, is facing a damning new report regarding his alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct, and financial mismanagement that has led him to lose jobs in the past.
On Sunday, The New Yorker published a report detailing a previously undisclosed whistleblower complaint filed in 2015 by several former employees of Concerned Veterans for America – a nonprofit group Hegseth served as president of.
The report claimed Hegseth would get so drunk that he "needed to be carried out of the organization's events" and described one incident where he "had to be restrained while drunk from joining the dancers on the stage of a Louisiana strip club, where he had brought his team."
The report also claimed that Hegseth and other male members of his management team "sexually pursued the organization's female staffers, whom they divided into two groups – the 'party girls' and the 'not party girls.'"
Hegseth was forced to step down from the nonprofit over "concerns about his mismanagement and abuse of alcohol on the job."
The New Yorker also found that Hegseth led another nonprofit called Vets for Freedom, which "ran up enormous debt" under his leadership.
The new details about Hegseth's past come after Trump nominated him to be Secretary of Defense, which will soon require confirmation through a Senate vote.
Pete Hegseth's nomination met with controversy
Hegseth's appointment as defense secretary has been facing heavy scrutiny, as he has also been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, which he has vehemently denied.
Critics have also drawn attention to his political views, citing his extremist positions and tattoos that have been associated with White Nationalist movements.
While many have argued the allegations against him are enough to disqualify him from the position, Trump has stuck by his pick and has been rallying support with fellow Republicans.
Hegseth will be on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, as he is scheduled to hold meetings with Republican Senators Tedd Budd of North Carolina, Jim Risch of Idaho, and Eric Schmitt of Missouri.
Cover photo: Collage: Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP