By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-25 00:26:35 | Updated at 2024-11-25 02:33:26
2 hours ago
A Fox News contributor making a personal admission that swayed her opinion about Pete Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense by Donald Trump, .
Leslie Marshall, a Democrat strategist and radio talk host, opened up about her experience as a rape victim while coming out in opposition to Hegseth's nomination.
Hegseth, an ex-Fox News anchor, was accused of sexual assault in 2017. He has denied the accusation, though his attorney has admitted to paying off the accuser to keep her from going public.
Marshall appeared on the network Sunday and said that she had to oppose Hegseth despite liking him 'as a person.'
'I dreaded talking about this today. I met Pete a long time ago. We spent, middle of the night, waiting to go on during 2016, before the election, and I like him as a person,' she said.
Marshall added: 'I am a rape victim, and I can tell you there's a reason one in 10 rapes go unreported, and it's very difficult for a woman to go in and have a rape kit done. It's physically, mentally, and emotionally very difficult to go through that process, as I have.'
She said that she believes Hegseth's alleged victim and that, combined with accusations of infidelity against the thrice-married Hegseth, made him unfit, given that Military code considers adultery 'against the military.'
DailyMail.com revealed exclusively on Sunday Hegseth also had a baby with his Fox News producer just weeks before the alleged assault.
Fox News contributor Leslie Marshall spoke out against Pete Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense by Donald Trump , making a personal admission that swayed her opinion
'Although Pete has an incredible military career, he doesn't have the leadership career in the military that I feel the Department of Defense requires as their head,' Marshall said.
A police report released this week by the City of Monterey, California, shows that a then-30-year-old woman was having champagne with co-workers while on a business trip when things got 'fuzzy' and she suddenly ended up in a room with Hegseth.
Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer representing Hegseth, has admitted his client paid the woman for her silence because he did not want to lose his job, while at the same time dismissing the allegations as 'baseless' and tantamount to a 'successful extortion.'
A complaint from an unnamed woman with extensive knowledge of the alleged rape was sent to Trump's staff explained the story police were told at the time.
The memo sent by the other woman claimed she 'didn't remember anything until she was in Hegseth's hotel room and then stumbling to find her hotel room'.
The six to nine hours after intervening in Hegseth flirting with the other women were 'very hazy', the memo claimed.
When she returned home, she 'had a moment of hazy memory of being raped the night before, and had a panic attack', the memo alleged.
That was when she went to the ER and had a rape kit taken that was positive for semen.
Marshall is a Democrat strategist and radio talk host, speaking about her experience as a rape victim in opposition to Hegseth's nominee, after it was revealed the ex-Fox News anchor was accused of sexual assault in 2017
Marshall said that she believes the alleged victim and that, combined with accusations of infidelity against the thrice-married Hegseth, made him unfit, given that Military code considers adultery 'against the military'
Local police investigated the alleged sexual assault involving Hegseth, that was reported four days later, the city said.
No weapons were involved, according to the statement, but there were injuries – 'contusions to the right thigh.'
Hegseth, who was divorced from his second wife at the time of the alleged rape, has not been charged in any criminal case or named as a defendant in any civil lawsuit.
There have been other complaints from liberals about some of Hegseth's comments on Fox News in the past.
He has faced fierce criticism for controversial opinions that women should not serve in combat.
Close Trump ally Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Sunday defended Hegseth.
'Don't let these allegations distract us. What we need is real significant change. The Pentagon has been more focused on pronouns than they have lethality the past four years. We need to get back to business, and I think Pete is just the person to do it,' Hagerty said.
Meanwhile, Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) argued the reason for the confirmation process is to get the full story. He said it would allow senators to ask questions and give Hegseth the ability to respond.
He argued Hegseth was never charged, and even before the hearings he said he already plans to support the confirmation.
A CBS News poll found a clear majority of 64 percent of Republicans claimed Hegseth was a good choice, though he had lower approval ratings than many of the other nominees.
