In November, Collins initially expressed that she was “concerned” with the 2017 rape allegation against Hegseth as well as detailed reports about his years-long alcohol abuse, often prompting him to show up to work drunk. But she and Hegseth had a meeting in December, which she called a “good, substantive discussion.” Then the New Yorker reported earlier this month that she turned down a private meeting with the woman who accuses Hegseth of raping her in 2017. Collins swiftly denied the outlet’s reporting.
Once upon a time, Collins play-acted as being on the fence over Trump’s Supreme Court nominations for Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh; she pretended to be “concerned” by the allegations against Kavanaugh and suggested she only voted for them since they promised to respect the precedent of Roe v. Wade. I think we all know what happened next, just as we all knew what would happen when she voted for them in 2017 and 2018. Still, in 2022, when it was leaked that they intended to kill Roe, Collins had the audacity to pretend to be surprised and betrayed by both men.
According to reporting from NBC News on Tuesday, Danielle shared a detailed sworn affidavit with senators over the weekend, claiming Hegseth made Samantha fear for her safety throughout their marriage from 2010 to 2017. Danielle claimed that Samantha once recounted being so afraid of threats from Hegseth that she had to hide in a closet, and that Samantha shared a safe word with Danielle to signal when Hegseth threatened her safety; Danielle alleged Samantha texted her the code in 2015 and 2016.
Hegseth and Samantha have both denied that he was violent toward her. But in her affidavit, Danielle said the details she shared came from what Samantha told her about her marriage at the time. “I trust what Samantha told me… most critically because it was consistent with what I personally observed of Hegseth’s erratic and aggressive behavior over many years,” she wrote. She also recounted incidents when Hegseth had to be dragged out of clubs, passed out from drinking.
Danielle made the same allegations in an interview with the FBI on December 30—but NBC News reports that the FBI declined to share Danielle’s allegations with senators. “As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation,” Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told NBC in a statement. Reed wrote a letter to Danielle on January 18 asking her to share the affidavit on her allegations. “I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this sworn affidavit [from Danielle] confirms that fact.”
Nevertheless, the Senate GOP seems determined to confirm Hegseth at the earliest time possible. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who chairs the Armed Services Committee, insisted to reporters that “the nomination is going to go forward,” and that he has “grave doubts” about Danielle’s sworn affidavit—while also admitting that he hadn’t read it.
Famously, this wouldn’t be the first or even the second time the Senate has rammed through an alleged abuser rather than fully investigate and consider credible abuse allegations. And when it came to confirming Kavanaugh, we know how that one ended—and we have the scars (AKA loss of some pretty fundamental rights!) to remind us!
