Pete Hegseth: Serious allegations of abuse against Trump's new Pentagon chief

DER SPIEGEL Pete Hegseth: Serious allegations of abuse against Trump's new Pentagon chief 55 minutes • 2 minutes reading time Pete Hegseth has no political experience, but is supposed to lead the most powerful military in the world. A former sister-in-law warned the US Senate about him - with an affidavit. New allegations of abuse are being made against the controversial new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. They come from his immediate family: The former sister-in-law of the designated Pentagon chief, Danielle Hegseth, submitted an affidavit before the confirmation hearing before the US Senate. The news agency AP says it has the affidavit. According to the statement, he treated his second ex-wife Samantha so brutally that she hid from him in a closet. She also agreed with her family that she would help if she had to flee from Hegseth. Danielle Hegseth told the US Senate that she believes her ex-brother-in-law is "unfit" to lead the Department of Defense. She has the same last name as the controversial politician because she was previously married to his brother. According to her sister-in-law, she reported her allegations to the FBI in December, but is concerned that the information was not passed on to Congress. In the affidavit, she also reports that Hegseth is a heavy drinker and that he is "erratic and aggressive." Hegseth's lawyers deny the allegations. No political experience Hegseth is a former Fox News anchor who has no political experience other than an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the US Senate for Minnesota. As head of the Pentagon, he would head one of the most important ministries in the USA: The 44-year-old ex-soldier would then be responsible for the most powerful military in the world, a budget of around 800 billion dollars, armaments projects and security policy decisions. Anyone nominated for a ministerial post needs the approval of the Senate. But Hegseth initially encountered resistance even from Republicans. Due to his party's narrow majority in the parliamentary chamber, even a small number of dissenters could be his undoing. Since his nomination was announced a few days after Trump's election victory, a number of allegations against Hegseth have come to light. These included alleged sexual assault, racist remarks and alcohol abuse. Hegseth described the allegations as a smear campaign. He added that he was not a perfect person. Donald Trump has so far resolutely stuck to the appointment.