Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for US defense secretary, has been accompanied by a security guard with a history of alleged military misconduct.
John Jacob Hasenbein, a former army special forces MSgt who deployed to Iraq eight times, was found guilty of aggravated assault in a 2020 court-martial stemming from a 2019 incident at Fort Knox, Kentucky, the New York Times reports. The incident involved the violent treatment of Ahmed Altameemi, a civilian role player in a simulated hostage rescue training scenario.
According to court documents and witness statements observed by the Times, Hasenbein allegedly kicked, punched, and left Altameemi hogtied in a pool of his own blood, causing multiple injuries including a broken nose and significant facial trauma.
Although a military court-martial found Hasenbein guilty of aggravated assault in 2020, a mistrial was declared after it emerged that a fellow soldier had inappropriately influenced a juror. The army did not retry the case.
Hasenbein subsequently retired from the military after 22 years of service. He has maintained his innocence, stating he was “honorably retired” and has no conviction.
Hegseth, who has previously criticized military leadership as being “Marxist” and too “woke” defended his choice through his lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, claiming Hasenbein was a “victim of unjust treatment by a broken military justice system”. It is not clear whether Hegseth knew of Hasenbein’s past conduct.
The incident adds to a series of controversies surrounding Hegseth’s potential nomination, which include allegations of excessive alcohol use and a previously settled sexual assault accusation.
Altameemi, a former Iraq army counterterrorism soldier and now an American citizen, expressed shock at Hasenbein’s continued employment.
“He is not a safe man,” he told the Times. “Don’t they do any background checks?”
English (US)