Trump nominee faces Senate decision after past settlement comes to light

Senate leaders find themselves at a cross-roads after Donald Trumpʼs first attorney-general choice didnt make it through confirmation due to misconduct claims

The situation gets more complex as another nominee Pete Hegseth (picked for defense secretary role) draws attention because of a similar-type issue. A seven-year old case from a California political meet-up — where police looked into claims but filed no charges — sits at the center of discussions

GOP senators point to important details: theres no criminal case‚ and Hegseth made a private deal with money paid to the person who made claims (which included a dont-tell agreement). The defense secretary pick says these claims arent true; however questions remain about his path to confirmation

The upper chamber now has to balance these facts: a dropped police case some financial settlement and Hegsethʼs firm denial of doing anything wrong at that west-coast political gathering