Words and deeds out of alignment for potential Cabinet appointment and Fox News personality

The lure of another television personality has President Trump reportedly considering Fox News' Pete Hegseth to run the Department of Veterans Affairs. But while Hegseth's experience as a combat veteran and commentator on Fox would seem to appeal politically to the president, his appointment could extend two disruptive narratives playing out in the White House: marital infidelity and nepotism.

An APM Reports investigation has found Hegseth engaged in two extramarital affairs with co-workers during two marriages and paid his brother — who had no professional experience — $108,000 to work for him while chief executive of a non-profit. And while running a political action committee in his native Minnesota, Hegseth spent a third of the PAC's money on Christmas parties for families and friends.

A decorated Army veteran, Hegseth could be Trump's choice to replace current Secretary for Veteran's Affairs David Shulkin, who may be on the way out after he allegedly spent government money on personal travel and entertainment.

Hegseth has worked years to cultivate himself as rock-ribbed conservative, volunteering for combat, advocating for veterans and speaking publicly and writing about family values. But court filings, nonprofit tax records from Hegseth's time as an executive, and campaign finance reports show that some of the Army veteran's choices belie the image he's carefully crafted since his college days. That little-known history could raise questions as to whether the 37-year-old has the experience and temperament to run the VA, a $186 billion organization that provides health care benefits to 9 million veterans.

Hegseth — a telegenic, Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan — is in the process of divorcing his second wife after having an extramarital affair and a child with a producer at Fox News. Hegseth's second wife filed for divorce roughly a month after the girl was born. His divorce filings show the couple is working to keep details of his contract with Fox News private.

The revelations come as President Trump is under scrutiny for his alleged infidelity involving several women and as more than half the president's Cabinet have faced questions about unethical conduct. Nepotism, too, has been a flashpoint in the White House ever since Trump named his daughter and son-in-law to high-level positions.

Hegseth declined an interview for this story.

If appointed, Hegseth would be the latest TV personality to join the Trump administration. Trump appointed John Bolton as his national security adviser last week. Bolton is a former United Nations ambassador and contributor to Fox News. Trump picked CNBC analyst Larry Kudlow to replace Gary Cohn as chief economic adviser, and former Fox and Friends host Heather Nauert has served in the U.S. Department of State since April 2017.

Hegseth said he interviewed for the VA position three times after Trump was elected in 2016 but didn't get the job. On a recent appearance on Fox News, Hegseth said he believed he was under consideration for the job. "If I have a chance to serve my country, great. I would consider it. But there's no lobbying for it and I'm just going to keep doing my day job," he said.

Hegseth's affairs, two divorces

On TV and through his writing, Hegseth has portrayed himself as a defender of traditional family values. In his 2016 book, "In the Arena," Hegseth said social conservatives should focus on reducing divorce rather than banning same-sex marriage, which he called a lost battle.

"The focus on family policy should instead be on strengthening families and creating good citizens by preventing divorce of parents with kids, encouraging large productive families ...," he wrote.

In a revised edition of his book released in February 2017, Hegseth narrowed the types of marital breakups that should be prevented to only "wanton divorce."

In September, Hegseth's second wife, Samantha, filed for divorce in Minnesota. The divorce filing is dated one month after Hegseth and a Fox News producer who worked on his show named Jennifer Rauchet had a child, according to a person with firsthand knowledge of the relationship.

His first marriage also ended after Hegseth had an affair with a female work colleague.

Hegseth hasn't been bashful about his relationship with Rauchet, despite his divorce not yet being final. He shares photos of himself and Rauchet with their daughter on social media. Rauchet's Instagram account also features a profile photo of Hegseth and Rauchet holding a baby together.

And in October Hegseth and Rauchet were photographed together at a private dinner with President Trump.

Rauchet couldn't be reached for comment. A Fox News spokeswoman would only say Rauchet was assigned to a different show that didn't involve Hegseth when the couple disclosed their relationship.

Hegseth and his wife, Samantha, have three children. When he ran unsuccessfully for Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat in 2012, he emphasized his commitment to family. In a campaign video Hegseth's parents praised his devotion to his wife and son. "I couldn't love them more," Pete Hegseth said of his wife and son in the video. "It makes getting up every day an easy thing to do."

Attorneys for Samantha Hegseth did not return calls and Samantha could not be reached for comment.

The two worked together at Vets for Freedom, an organization that lobbied for more troops in Iraq. Hegseth served as the executive director from 2007 through 2012, according to his profile on LinkedIn. Samantha Hegseth, who then went by her maiden name, Succop, served as a spokeswoman for the group in 2008, according to an internet history of the group's website.

In December 2008, Hegseth's first wife, Meredith Schwarz, filed for divorce after Hegseth admitted to infidelity.

"There exists an irretrievable breakdown of the parties' marriage relationship ... due to Respondent's infidelity," according to the divorce judgment.

Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer representing Hegseth, said the infidelity has been addressed already in other news stories.

Hegseth's first divorce came at a time when he was building his conservative credentials, highlighting what he considers traditional family values.

In 2006, Hegseth spoke at an event hosted by the Family Research Council, an organization that lobbies for a ban on abortion, a ban on same-sex marriage and holds regular policy discussions on how divorce is harming families.

The group appears to have had influenced Hegseth's thinking. It sponsored a fellowship for Hegseth while he was in college at Princeton that focused on "matters of interest to the family."

Afterward, as publisher of the Princeton Tory, a conservative student publication, he embraced some of the same themes central to the Family Research Council.

"By advocating government support of the traditional family unit, a return of the acceptability of the 'homemaker' vocation, freedom from oppressive government oversight, moral responsibility, and the revival of religious faith, conservatives provide a working blueprint for a free and prosperous future," he wrote in December 2002.

Leadership decisions may raise questions

Hegseth's resume lacks the leadership experience of running large organizations, certainly any as large as Veterans Affairs. And in two leadership positions Hegseth made decisions that could prompt scrutiny during a confirmation hearing.

As executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, Hegseth was atop the organization when his brother, Philip, was hired for a media relations position. The relationship was noted in the organization's tax records in 2016 and 2017 because federal law requires the organization to disclose any family members of officers. The organization paid Philip Hegseth $108,000 over that time period, records show.

It was Philip Hegseth's first job after graduating from the University of St. Thomas in May 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile. Philip Hegseth did not return calls to discuss his employment at Concerned Veterans for America.

Parlatore said Hegseth's brother was qualified for the position and points out that private entities are allowed to hire family members.

Many ethics experts though discourage hiring family members because it can lead to conflicts of interest, murky lines of reporting and workplace morale problems. Lawyers, scholars and government watchdogs have criticized President Trump for hiring his daughter and son-in-law into powerful positions in the White House for the same reasons.

The current executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, Dan Caldwell, said Phillip Hegseth did not report directly to his brother, adding that he "... was an outstanding employee who made significant contributions to Concerned Veterans for America." Phillip Hegseth left the organization three months after his brother.

Seven people were sent messages to discuss Pete Hegseth's time at Concerned Veterans for America and none responded.

Hegseth's management of a political action committee in Minnesota also could invite questions about how he spent campaign donations.

In 2012, Hegseth formed MN PAC, an organization aimed at supporting "conservative candidates in contested races." But an analysis of the organization's spending — less than $15,000 — shows it spent less than half on behalf of candidates. A third of the PAC's funds was spent on two Christmas parties and reimbursements to Hegseth.

Minnesota's campaign finance laws don't forbid covering such payouts.

Records show the fund hasn't spent any money on candidates since 2012, however. And even though the organization has terminated its account with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, the organization's social media accounts are still active. Twitter and Facebook posts this month have promoted Hegseth and Republicans in the Minnesota Senate.

The soldier builds a resume

Hegseth was the valedictorian of his Forest Lake, Minnesota high school class in 1999 and an all-state basketball player. He went to Princeton University where he joined the ROTC and served as publisher for the conservative student publication.

After graduation in 2003, Hegseth joined the U.S. Army. He served with distinction in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan, earning two Bronze Stars, his military records show.

Eleven days after his final overseas deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, Hegseth filed paperwork to run for Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat. His campaign lasted three months. He dropped out of the race after losing the party endorsement.

Hegseth bookended his U.S. Senate campaign with two leadership positions running nonprofit veteran's groups aligned with Republicans.

From 2007-2012 he served as executive director of Vets for Freedom, which advocated for an increased troop presence in Afghanistan and Iraq.

After that, he served as executive director of Concerned Veterans for America. There, he pushed for greater privatization of the VA. At both nonprofits, Hegseth wrote newspaper editorials, made frequent TV appearances and organized campaign rallies.

His knack for finding the spotlight gave him credibility in media circles and with the Republican Party. He joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014.

As his TV profile grew, his role at Concerned Veterans for America ended. And after hosting several community town hall forums with the presidential candidates in 2015, Hegseth left the organization in December 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Since then he published a book, ramped up public speaking appearances and became a mainstay on Fox News, eventually becoming host of Fox and Friends Weekend.

As a TV personality, Hegseth is a vociferous supporter of President Trump and routinely castigates the media, Democrats and Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

But he hasn't always been a Trump backer.

In 2015 he criticized Trump's plan for veterans. And before falling in line behind Trump, Hegseth backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's campaigns for president. He called his shift to Trump a "conversion moment."

"I think President Donald Trump is the final defensive line for America," Hegseth said at a Republican Party event in Texas.

Dinner in the East Wing. @realdonaldtrump @jessicalynneoneill @petehegseth @jennycdot

A post shared by Robert J. O'Neill (@mchooyah) on Oct 23, 2017 at 9:14am PDT

Hegseth would be tough to confirm

Hegseth's name continues to be mentioned as a candidate for Veterans Affairs secretary as the drumbeats for Shulkin's firing get louder. One reason is Hegseth's growing stature with Trump.

A vivid example could be seen last week on two of Trump's favorite media platforms — Fox News and Twitter.

Hegseth criticized a spending bill on Friday that was passed under the leadership of House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

"This is a swamp budget. This is a Mitch McConnell special. The GOP is not the party of fiscal responsibility," Hegseth said on television. Less than an hour after Hegseth made those comments, Trump wrote on Twitter that he may veto the bill. He eventually signed it, citing a hike in military spending.

After Trump was elected, Hegseth interviewed three times for the VA position. Trump instead chose Shulkin, a holdover from President Obama. Shulkin was unanimously confirmed by the Senate.

Hegseth, however, has wielded his influence in other ways. He's interviewed Trump twice on Fox and has become one of Trump's biggest defenders.

Hegseth and Trump are also aligned when it comes to government health care for veterans. Both have pushed for increasing private options for veterans. "If you live next to the Mayo Clinic, why shouldn't you be able to choose to get the best care there as opposed to being stuck in a VA facility and not have that option?" Hegseth said earlier this month on Fox News.

Hegseth has some backers for the VA post. In 2016, a former colleague at Concerned Veterans for America wrote an op-ed supporting Hegseth. "Trump has made it clear he intends to make a bold impact on Washington. He should start with changing the way the VA does business by placing the agency under Pete Hegseth's leadership," wrote Sean Parnell, a retired U.S. Army Infantry Captain.

But Hegseth also has critics who worry he would push to further privatize the VA. "With each dollar that is pulled out of the VA and put into the private sector, that is money getting pulled out of the VA," said Will Fischer with the left-leaning veteran's group Vote Vets. "If you pull dollars out, eventually what's going to be left?" Hegseth's strong push to privatize Veterans Affairs has also put him at odds with the chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia.

"Worst part about this is that so-called Republican @SenatorIsakson voted WITH socialist @SenSanders to block MORE health care choice for veterans. Sanders want to trap vets in @DeptVetAffairs...and so do Swamp-creature Republicans like Isakson" Hegseth tweeted in November.

Hegseth's tough talk may win him points with Trump and viewers of Fox News, but it has put him at odds with two important members of the Senate — McConnell and Isakson.

As Majority Leader, McConnell has the power to move or stifle nomination votes. As chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, Isakson has formidable sway over any nominee.

In fact, Isakson reportedly urged Trump to keep Shulkin as his VA Secretary. Republican aides have told Politico that Hegseth cannot win confirmation since Republicans currently have a 51-49 seat majority. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, is also away receiving cancer treatment. A spokeswoman for Isakson said Isakson won't comment on "hypotheticals."

Trump is unpredictable, though, and could use Hegseth's nomination to further shake up his administration.

And even if Trump opts against naming Hegseth for the position, Hegseth will continue to have tremendous clout on Trump's favorite network.

"I am beyond happy to be here at Fox News Channel," he recently said on the program.