Pete Hegseth: five things to know about the new US secretary of defense

1. He is immersed in extremist far-right Christianity, and has the tattoos to prove it

In a series of podcasts, Hegseth appeared to endorse the theocratic and authoritarian doctrine of “sphere sovereignty”, a worldview derived from the extremist beliefs of Christian reconstructionism and espoused by churches aligned with far-right Idaho pastor Douglas Wilson.

In the interviews, Hegseth expresses agreement with the principle of sphere sovereignty, which envisions a subordination of “civil government” to Old Testament law, capital punishment for infringements of that law such as homosexuality, and rigidly patriarchal families and churches.

Extremism experts have sounded the alarm over his nomination, also pointing to his tattoos, which feature a tapestry of symbols widely embraced by Christian nationalists, including a Jerusalem cross on his chest, an American flag with 13 stars partly obscured by an assault weapon below his shoulder and the words “Deus Vult” (“God wills it”) on his biceps.

2. He has been accused of sexual misconduct and aggressive behavior toward his ex-wife

Although he has denied the allegation, Hegseth paid a $50,000 settlement to a woman who accused him in 2017 of sexually assaulting her. According to a police report, he took her cellphone and blocked the door of a hotel room they were in to prevent her from leaving. During his confirmation hearing, he refused to answer questions about the incident, calling them “anonymous smears”.

Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the armed services committee, confirmed this week that senators have received an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law alleging that the nominee’s aggressive behavior prompted his second wife to fear for her safety. Hegseth and his ex-wife, who divorced in 2018, have denied the allegations.

According to Reed, the affidavit outlines claims that Hegseth regularly drank alcohol to excess and caused his family members to fear for their safety.

The affidavit indicates that Hegseth’s second wife, Samantha Hegseth, became so fearful that she instituted a “safe word” with friends to indicate when she was in danger and once hid in a closet to escape her then husband.

3. He has also faced allegations of excessive drinking at the workplace

The New Yorker reported last year that, according to a whistleblower report, Hegseth was seen drunk at multiple events hosted by the nonprofit he led between 2013 and 2015. “I’ve seen him drunk so many times,” one person who contributed to the report told the New Yorker. “I’ve seen him dragged away not a few times but multiple times.”

The affidavit seen by senators also alleges that he regularly drank to the point that he passed out at family gatherings, and on one occasion, he needed to be dragged out of a strip club while in uniform.

The New Yorker also reported that Hegseth ordered three gin and tonics at a weekday breakfast meeting as recently as the spring of 2023.

During his confirmation hearing, Hegseth acknowledged he was “not a perfect person”. He promised senators that he has stopped drinking and would not do so if confirmed as defense secretary. But he would not commit to resigning if he did drink on the job.

4. He has said women shouldn’t serve in combat roles

Although he walked back the comments since being tapped by Trump, Hegseth has said in recent interviews that he doesn’t believe women should serve in combat roles. “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles,” he said on Shawn Ryan’s podcast in November. “It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.”

Women on the armed services committee, including Iowa senator Joni Ernst, a former army national guard commander, have expressed concerns about his comments. Ernst, nonetheless, has said she will support him.

According to Reed, the affidavit obtained by senators also alleges Hegseth has said that “women should not vote or work”.

5. He’s been accused of financially mismanaging nonprofit

According to reporting by the New Yorker, Hegseth was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit groups that he ran, Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America, due to allegations of financial mismanagement in addition to claims of sexual misconduct and drinking.

The New Yorker obtained a whistleblower email sent to his predecessor at Concerned Veterans for America that detailed how Hegseth “treated the organization funds like they were a personal expense account”.

At Veterans for Freedom, the financial situation under Hegseth was so bad that donors tried to figure out how to take control of the organization away from him. “I watched him run an organization very poorly, lose the confidence of donors,” Margaret Hoover, a former adviser to the group, told the New Yorker. “The organization ultimately folded and was forced to merge with another organization who individuals felt could run and manage funds on behalf of donors more responsibly than he could.”