Jen Psaki Names 3 Good Things About Trump Pick Pete Hegseth — Then Bombards Him Over Rape Allegation In Blistering Critique

MSNBC’s Jen Psaki rattled off three things about Trump defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth that are “to his credit” — then went on a blistering accounting of the rape allegation that has endangered his confirmation.

President-elect Donald Trump made news last week with cabinet picks that drew shock and outrage — and one bombshell withdrawal in the form of former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to be Trump’s attorney general.

But Hegseth’s nomination is very much in question after news outlets including Mediaite obtained a copy of the police report from the incident containing graphic and disturbing details of the woman’s allegations, as well as Hegseth’s version of events.

On Sunday’s edition of MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki, Psaki briefly lauded Hegseth for his military service, talent for television, and ability to write books before diving into a thorough examination of the allegations against him:

JEN PSAKI, MSNBC HOST: So, with Matt Gaetz out of the picture, much of the spotlight on Capitol Hill has turned to Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense.

Now, just for a moment, to his credit, Hegseth is a veteran who has served in the Army National Guard overseas in both Afghanistan and Iraq. I will also say that Hegseth is pretty good on TV, which, as a general skill set, I can tell you, is not a bad thing to have in your cabinet.

For about a decade, he has worked at FOX News as a contributor and host, and we know Trump loves FOX News hosts. And Hegseth has also written a number of books.

But here’s the thing. On TV and in those books, Pete Hegseth has also pushed some out-there ideas, even echoing the notion after repeated — often repeated by Donald Trump that America is filled with enemies from within.

Hegseth described the book he wrote in 2020 as “the strategy we must employ in order to defeat America’s internal enemies.”

Now, that alone should give any senator pause as they consider his confirmation, right? But it’s certainly not the only thing. And the details about people who are being nominated to high-level positions are so important. That’s why I have been talking about it all show.

So, I’m going to walk you through what we know about Pete Hegseth at this moment. We know that he faced an allegation of sexual assault. That incident was described in a memo written by a friend of his accuser, which was sent to the Trump transition team and obtained by “The Washington Post.”

Now, the memo lays out that, in 2017, a 30-year-old woman identified as Jane Doe was at a hotel in Monterey, California, staying with her husband and small children as she worked as a staffer for the California Federation of Republican Women.

Hegseth was there because he was the keynote speaker at an event the group was hosting that night. The memo reportedly goes on to allege that Hegseth raped the conservative staffer, Jane Doe, in his room after drinking at the hotel bar.

An investigation was opened. Charges were never brought. But Hegseth did later pay Jane Doe an undisclosed sum in 2020 as part of a nondisclosure agreement. As his lawyer told “The Post,” Hegseth maintains that the encounter was consensual and he made the payment because he feared any revelation of the matter would result in his termination from FOX.

Hegseth’s lawyer even added that Jane Doe had been the aggressor in the encounter. That’s according to Hegseth’s lawyer. And when Hegseth himself was asked about the allegations by reporters on Thursday, this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Did you sexually assault a woman in Monterey, California?

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: I have — as far as the media is concerned, I will keep this very simple. The matter was fully investigated. And I was completely cleared. And that’s where I’m going to leave it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PSAKI: Now, to be clear, Pete Hegseth was not cleared, and the 22-page police report released this week shows that it’s not as simple as he’d have you believe.

According to that report, an emergency room nurse contacted police after treating a woman who said that she may have been drugged and sexually assaulted. The woman said that, during drinks after the conference, she — quote — “stated that she observed Hegseth acting inappropriately with the other women at the conference. Hegseth would rub the women on their legs, and she thought that his actions were inappropriate.”

No kidding. She was flagged by another female conference attendee who hoped that Jane Doe’s presence would help deter Hegseth’s sexual advances. She even texted someone that night that Hegseth was giving off a — quote — “creeper vibe.”

Next, Jane Doe remembered walking out of the bar and assumed Hegseth followed her because she argued with Hegseth near the pool. The argument was about Hegseth’s actions with the women at the conference, to which Hegseth responded by saying that he was a nice guy.

Now, this confrontation at the pool was corroborated by a hotel employee, who said that Hegseth was very intoxicated, while Jane Doe was not. Jane Doe goes on to say that her next memory was in an unknown room and that Hegseth was in the room with her. She stated that she got up and tried to leave the room, but Hegseth blocked the door with his body.

Jane Doe remembered saying no a lot. The police report, that details the woman’s recollection of being underneath Hegseth, which she described as a sexual assault.

Now, the district attorney at the time recently told NPR that they declined to pursue the case after determining that no charges were supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

But, again, declining to bring charges against someone is not the same thing as clearing them. That also shouldn’t be the standard for any senator with a role in his confirmation. And yet a number of Republican senators responsible for advising and consenting on this incredibly important position don’t appear to have any further concerns or questions.

Josh Hawley told reporters: “Listen, he denies it.”

John Cornyn said: “That’s hearsay. We’re not going to decide based on pieces of the story.”

And Markwayne Mullin said: “There’s actually a full report, and you guys can read it for yourself. I don’t think there’s any way in the world you can say that this is a sexual assault.”

That’s all from Markwayne Mullin.

Well, I have read the report, and I would strongly disagree. If anything, I definitely want to know more about what happened. Everybody should. And I actually feel like that’s not a political thing to say at all.

The United States Department of Defense is one of the largest and most powerful agencies in the world. The secretary of defense will be in charge of the most powerful military in the world, including tens of thousands of women across the world.

Is “He denies it” really the standard we’re setting for the person who’s supposed to do that? Is “He denies it” really good enough in the face of that damning set of circumstances I just read to you? I sure hope not. It shouldn’t be.

Watch above via MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki.