‘Completely Cleared’: Trump Cabinet nominee lies about his sexual assault allegations

After being asked point blank whether or not he had sexually assaulted a woman in California, former Fox News host turned Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hesgeth said that he was “completely cleared” of all charges. While Hesgeth might wish that he could eliminate his sexual assault allegations with a few magic words, the reality is he can’t.

“As far as the media is concerned, it’s very simple. The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared,” said Hesgeth about his sexual assault allegations and their subsequent cover up. A recent police report put forward by the alleged victim begs to differ. According to the report, a woman woke up with a hazy memory of being assaulted by a drunken Hesgeth. After the woman intervened while Hesgeth was harassing women at a Republican women’s event in Monterey, Hesgeth allegedly took the woman’s phone and physically blocked her from leaving a hotel room. The woman identified only as Jane Doe, remembers little of the incident, and told an emergency room nurse that she believes a drug might have been slipped into her drink. According to Doe, she had been drinking a “small amount of Champagne” at an afterparty. She and a group of women had another drink at a bar where Hesgeth was present, and that’s where “things got fuzzy.” Doe remembers that she confronted Hesgeth saying “she did not appreciate how he treated women,” and remembers that Hesgeth referred to himself as a “nice guy” during their interaction. Ew. Security footage shows Hesgeth and the woman walking to a hotel room later in the night, where the assault was said to have occurred.

Contrary to what Hesgeth would have reporters believe, the police report does not in any way clear him. It does the opposite, in fact, and recommends that his case be forwarded to local prosecutors for review. Though Hesgeth has not been formally charged (yet) it’s a far cry from “completely cleared.” Hesgeth maintains his innocence, and according to his lawyer, considers himself to be a “victim of blackmail”. Hesgeth claims that a sexual encounter did occur between the pair, but says that it was consensual. He believes that the sexual assault allegation was made in order to for the complainant to “keep her marriage intact.” Jane Doe was married at the time of the incident.

Hesgeth isn’t the first Trump Cabinet pick to be accused of sexual assault. Trump picked Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as his Attorney General, but Gaetz later turned the offer down. The official reason? Gaetz feared that his sexual misconduct allegations would be a “distraction” to Trump’s administration. Previously investigated by the DOJ, Gaetz is currently under scrutiny from a House Ethics Committee. Gaetz was accused of trafficking a 17 year old girl. Donald’s Trump’s nominee for HHS Department Robert F. Kennedy has also been accused of sexual assault, and allegedly groped a babysitter. He reportedly apologized to the woman over text message. Considering they were all appointed by a convicted rapist, it doesn’t come as a surprise.