A former trustee confirmed that Pete Hegseth “voluntarily resigned” as president of a veterans advocacy group in 2016, according to a copy of a letter exclusively obtained by The Post, denying recent allegations that the defense secretary-designee was forced out due to alcohol abuse, sexual impropriety and financial mismanagement.
Concerned Veterans for America trustee Randy Lair in a Jan. 16, 2016, missive wrote that “it was important to set the record straight given what appears to be a very personal attack against Pete and his military service.”
“The truth is Pete resigned his position as CEO of Concerned Veterans for America as a result of a difference of opinion as to the future of the organization and so that he could focus on other endeavors, including his relationship with Fox News,” Lair said.
“Pete was not terminated by the organization and, in fact, we at CVA worked with him through this difficult decision and mutually agreed the end of 2015 was the best timing for both parties,” he added.
The CVA letter was meant to address an “unsolicited email” that had been forwarded to Fox News that included “a very personal attack against Pete and his military service.”
It also appears to directly contradict a whistleblower report and other allegations from Hegseth’s tenure at CVA published Sunday by the New Yorker, in which ex-employees alleged the former vets group president had abused funds and been “totally sloshed” at several of the organization’s events.
The article also referenced a January 2016 email sent to incoming CVA president Jae Pak from a staffer that claimed Hegseth had “treated the organization funds like they were a personal expense account — for partying, drinking, and using CVA events as little more than opportunities to ‘hook up’ with women on the road.”
Sean Parnell, a former senior adviser at CVA, told The Post on Tuesday that the characterizations in the email and by the whistleblower report included in the piece were totally false and “not reflective” of the Army vet who worked with.
“If you read that article, I mean, I think you come away thinking that CVA was some sort of slush fund for parties or something — and nothing could be further from the truth,” Parnell said.
The ex-CVA adviser added that Hegseth never mismanaged funding but rather disagreed with the organization’s more war hawkish donor base, as he came to embrace President-elect Donald Trump’s more isolationist foreign policy stance.
“The people that funded CVA back then … they weren’t necessarily on board with Trump’s vision of foreign policy,” Parnell said. “But that was fairly well known and because of those policy differences, Pete left.”
Trump’s pick for the top Pentagon spot is not backing down either, posting on X Wednesday morning that he’s “doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers.”
“The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth,” Hegseth said. “Our warriors never back down, & neither will I.”
GOP sources told The Post on Wednesday that there are currently “zero” senators opposing Hegseth’s nomination — despite the anonymous smears.
“For every anonymous ‘source’ making an unfounded claim about Hegseth, there are twice as many colleagues and former colleagues who are putting their names publicly on record to refute the defamatory, meritless slander,” one Senate Republican aide familiar with the confirmation process said.
“The swamp is just scared of the DOD shakeup that’s coming. Hegseth should have a hearing, like any other nominee, where he can answer any outstanding questions,” the aide added.
“The bottom line is, voters gave Trump a mandate, and these lies won’t deter decorated combat patriot Pete Hegseth, or the 47th president of the United States.”
Hegseth is scheduled to meet with soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), incoming Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a veteran herself who has a history of voting against confirmations for those accused of sexual misconduct.
Only four Republicans would have to vote against any of Trump’s picks to tank their confirmation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told CBS News on Tuesday that the allegations were “disturbing” and indicated confirming Hegseth was “going to be difficult.”
Trump, 78, has already considered pulling his nominee and instead tapping Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a former Navy JAG officer who served as a legal adviser to SEAL Team One, should Hegseth’s confirmation get bogged down, according to the Wall Street Journal.
