In an effort to save Trump’s disgraceful pick to be Secretary of Defense, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin told CNN that the police report exonerated Pete Hegseth after rape allegations filed by Jane Doe became public.
This is a lie.
Danielle Paquette and Jonathan O’Connell write, “The papers do not say how police assessed the woman’s allegations and do not address the veracity of either side’s claims.”
Mullin said multiple times during the interview that he read the complete police report, but in his rant against Jane Doe forgot to mention the reason why no charges were filed against Hegseth. “Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said in a statement to NPR that her office declined to pursue the case in early 2018, after determining that “No charges were supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Mullin only cited parts of the report to paint Hegseth as the victim.
MULLIN: First of all, the police report, if you look at it, it’s very clear that what Pete was saying, what his attorney was saying, was accurate.
There was no case here. He was falsely accused.
If you go back and you read the report, there was two eyewitnesses said that she was being the aggressor. Pete wasn’t even flirting with her. He was flirting with a different girl, and the other girl was trying to flirt with Pete, the Jane Doe here that is unmentioned.
They also said that she was holding his arm as they were leaving and that Pete was intoxicated and the Jane Doe was not. They obviously said, multiple people said, that she was aggressively, to the point of aggressively, use the word, aggressively flirting towards him when they were in the courtyard.
BASH: Senator, Senator, I was going to…
MULLIN: Hotel staff meeting. Well, I’m just saying that you told one part of this, Dana, that isn’t accurate.
BASH: I wasn’t done. I wasn’t done. You’re giving his side, and it was definitely, the police report is definitely what she said and what he said. You’re absolutely right.
MULLIN: I hadn’t gotten there, but I appreciate you giving that other side for me. So I guess that just kind of answers the question, which is, from your perspective, you believe his part of the story and not hers.
I absolutely do. He wasn’t charged. He wasn’t even kind of charged in this.
There was no crime committed. The police dropped everything.
Not having enough information does not mean no crime was committed. If Hegseth is innocent why did he pay her off and make her sing an NDA?
If he’s so innocent then release her to speak out publicly if she chooses to do so.
Also, there is a verification process all cabinet members are subjected to whether Republican senators refuse to do their duty or not. A rape charge is something that the American people have the right to know.
