Republican pollster and strategist Lee Carter said on Wednesday that she found it “offensive and wrong” that so much attention has been paid to the allegations of Pete Hegseth’s excessive drinking and sexual impropriety, describing the startling accusations as merely “extracurricular activities.”
Shortly after Hegseth’s mother appeared on Fox & Friends to vociferously defend her embattled son as his appointment to lead the Pentagon hangs perilously in the balance, Carter told CNN that she had known the former Fox News star for years and enjoyed working with him in the past.
“I mean there is no question what happened in his previous marriage and where he is today. And I‘m sure there are rocky roads behind the scenes,” she declared during an appearance on CNN Newsroom. “The Pete Hegseth that I know is a man who is a delight to work with. I have never smelled alcohol on his breath. I have traveled with him to debates. I have traveled with him to primary states. I have traveled with him and the Fox & Friends team all over, and I‘ve never seen any of the behavior that we‘re talking about there.”
NBC News reported on Tuesday that during Hegseth’s tenure as a Fox & Friends Weekend host, colleagues expressed concern over his alleged alcohol abuse, noting that he’d routinely complain about being hungover and acted like “the rules don’t apply to him.” Two of his former co-hosts said that they often smelled liquor on his breath prior to him going on air for the weekend morning show.
Following the NBC story, several Fox News hosts and commentators — who had previously ignored the growing accusations against their ex-colleague — have disputed that Hegseth had a drinking problem, including his former Fox & Friends colleagues on Wednesday morning. Hegseth’s mother, as well, denounced her 2018 email in which she criticized her son for mistreating women over the years.
That NBC report, though, is merely the tip of the iceberg. It comes after it was reported last month that a woman accused Hegseth of sexually assaulting her in 2017 and then paying her off years later to keep the story hidden to protect his Fox News job. He also allegedly mismanaged funds at veterans’ groups he’s led, sexually propositioned young female staffers, engaged in drunken and boorish behavior on the job, and once yelled “kill all Muslims” at a bar, among other accusations. Hesgeth has vehemently denied all of the claims.
Carter, meanwhile, insisted on Wednesday that while claims that Hegseth was a poor organizational leader while CEO of Concerned Veterans for America are relevant, all other accusations about his personal conduct and behavior should be “off the table.”
“I mean, it is just politics is a bloodsport at this point, and you can understand why really good people don‘t want to do it,” she asserted. “When you look at what‘s happened here, let‘s focus on what really matters. Is he qualified for the job? What happened with his previous marriage, what happened in his private life, all of that is off the table.”
Later in the segment, Carter grew increasingly incensed when the conversation shifted back to reports about Hegseth drinking on the job and whether that meant he could be trusted to lead a defense department that boasts over two million employees. At the same time, she appeared to dismissively wave off all other allegations against him.
“This is an all-hands attack. We‘re focusing on whether or not he drank. We’re focusing on whether or not — what he did out in extracurricular activities,” Carter declared. “The point that you‘re making about — is he qualified for the job? Can he lead? Does he have the experience to lead an organization that size? That is valid. That‘s what we should be talking about. The rest of this is hearsay.”
She went on to say that “every one of his co-hosts” has said the drinking allegations at Fox News are “not true” before claiming that Democrats and the media are “taking your eyes off the prize” when it comes to whether or not Hegseth is actually qualified to be secretary of defense.
“And I think you‘re making the whole thing ineffective. And I honestly think that the Democrats are doing more damage by doing this kind of thing than focusing on the real question, which everybody rightfully has,” Carter exclaimed.
“Is he the right person for the job? Is he qualified not based on the hearsay kind of attacks but on the real things? Has he managed enough people to be able to do this job? Is he the right person for this job? Those are good questions,” she concluded. “The rest of it, I find it offensive and wrong.”
