Maggie Haberman Says Trump Team Caught Off Guard By Bombshell Hegseth Sex Assault Accuser Payoff — Vetting Missed It

CNN commentator and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said President-elect Donald Trump’s team missed Pete Hegseth’s payoff to a sexual assault accuser when they vetted him to be secretary of defense.

Hegseth is among a raft of cabinet picks facing tough confirmations, and who aren’t being subjected to the customary FBI checks, instead being vetted by private firms. Over the weekend, Hegseth’s attorney dropped the bomb that there was a confidential settlement with a woman who accused the former Fox News host of sexual assault.

On Monday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Haberman revealed that her sources in Trump world did not know about the payoff, which was missed in the vetting “because it was a private settlement”:

COLLINS: And when it comes to what that looks like. I mean, picking his personal attorneys to also go into the administration. He’s now at four, with picking Will Scharf, over the weekend to be staff secretary, notable in and of itself.

But as we’re triaging the headlines here. The other pick here that seems to be pushing the boundaries of what the system is going to take, is his pick for the Pentagon chief. Obviously, Pete Hegseth has been part of this as well.

What did you hear? What have you heard, over the last 48 hours, of how Trump is viewing that, given we’ve learned he did pay money to the woman that’s accusing him of sexual assault, which I should note, he and his attorney are denying.

HABERMAN: There’s more concern from some people around Trump than there is from Trump himself, about this whole issue. Trump has really dug in, and has told advisers that he is going to stick with Hegseth. Now, we’ll see if anything else emerges.

They did do a vet, we are told. This did not show up, this issue, because it was a private settlement, according to the people, who were briefed on what took place. Trump really likes Pete Hegseth. But this did introduce the thing Trump doesn’t like, which is an element of surprise and a negative headline. And so, we will see where this goes.

But for now, he is sticking with him, as he is with Gaetz. Most of the heat, right now, Kaitlan, is on Gaetz. And so, where Trump’s thinking and his advisers’ thinking is, is that he can basically shift what the bar is for acceptability, and how much controversy the Senate system will tolerate, if Gaetz goes, maybe the other three, Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr., being the others get through.

COLLINS: They’re viewing it lie that way. Is that by design, from what you’ve heard? Or is it just, they’re seeing it as they have multiple nominees that are questionable–

HABERMAN: Yes.

COLLINS: –about getting confirmed?

HABERMAN: Yes, I don’t think this is — this is 4D chess. I think that these are people, who they’ve decided they’re going to stick to.

In the case of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and in the case of Tulsi Gabbard, they were two people who became part of his coalition, in his campaign.

Gaetz was picked, almost on a whim, aboard his airplane, as you know.

And Hegseth was an instinctive pick, on his part, but somebody who he’s thought about before, for another role.

Put together, he’s just decided he is going to batter a ram — battering ram the system, and see where it lands.

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.