Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s choose for US protection secretary, has been accompanied by a safety guard with a historical past of alleged navy misconduct.
John Jacob Hasenbein, a former military particular forces MSgt who deployed to Iraq eight instances, was discovered responsible of aggravated assault in a 2020 court-martial stemming from a 2019 incident at Fort Knox, Kentucky, the New York Instances studies. The incident concerned the violent remedy of Ahmed Altameemi, a civilian function participant in a simulated hostage rescue coaching state of affairs.
In keeping with court docket paperwork and witness statements noticed by the Instances, Hasenbein allegedly kicked, punched, and left Altameemi hogtied in a pool of his personal blood, inflicting a number of accidents together with a damaged nostril and vital facial trauma.
Though a navy court-martial discovered Hasenbein responsible of aggravated assault in 2020, a mistrial was declared after it emerged {that a} fellow soldier had inappropriately influenced a juror. The Military didn’t retry the case.
Hasenbein subsequently retired from the navy after 22 years of service. He has maintained his innocence, stating he was “honorably retired” and has no conviction.
Hegseth, who has beforehand criticized navy management as being “Marxist” and too “woke” defended his alternative by way of his lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, claiming Hasenbein was a “sufferer of unjust remedy by a damaged navy justice system”. It’s not clear whether or not Hegseth knew of Hasenbein’s previous conduct.
The incident provides to a collection of controversies surrounding Hegseth’s potential nomination, which embrace allegations of extreme alcohol use and a beforehand settled sexual assault accusation.
Altameemi, a former Iraq Military counterterrorism soldier and now an American citizen, expressed shock at Hasenbein’s continued employment.
“He’s not a protected man,” he advised the Instances. “Don’t they do any background checks?”
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