‘Troubling’: Susan Collins Raises Concern Pete Hegseth’s Background Check Did Not Include ‘Pertinent Information’
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Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told reporters on Wednesday that she found it “troubling” information had been omitted from Pete Hegseth’s FBI background check.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reported on Collins’s statement noting she “was concerned that the FBI’s background investigation report” on President Donald Trump’s secretary of defense nominee “omitted relevant information, such as an interview with the nominee’s former sister-in-law alleging physical intimidation and drunken behavior.”
Collins is quoted as saying, “I’ve heard from others that pertinent information has not been included, and that is troubling. When you’re making a decision about a nominee, you want to have as complete a picture as possible.”
Collins, who chairs the powerful Appropriations Committee, met with Hegseth in December and said at the time, “I pressed him on both his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him. I don’t think there was anything that we did not cover.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News morning show host, has been bombarded by allegations of past sexual assault as well as excessive drinking since being appointed by Trump. Many of his past comments have also made headlines, including writing in his 2020 book that the U.S. must engage in a “crusade” against Islam.
NBC News reported on the latest revelation that Hegseth’s former sister in law submitted a sworn affidavit to the Senate claiming that “he made his second wife fear for her safety.” Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) released a statement on the affidavit and also called into question the FBI’s background check.
“As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation. I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this sworn affidavit confirms that fact,” Reed said.
He concluded, “The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing. This behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.”
