Hi there, everyone. It's Monday, and that's 4 o'clock in New York with a sexual misconduct allegation,

a tattoo that led to or preceded a hasty exit from military service, and a litany of eyebrow-raising statements.

Donald Trump's picked ahead, the Department of Defense, seems to be drowning in scandal.

And that's before confirmation hearings ever get underway.

On Sunday, an attorney for Pete Heggseth confirmed that Hegseth paid a woman after she accused

him of sexual assault,

saying this in a statement, quote, in 2023, Hegsev paid the complainant as part of a civil

confidential settlement agreement and maintains his innocence. That statement comes after the

Washington Post reported this, quote, a detailed memo was sent to the Trump transition team this week by a woman who said she is a friend of the accuser.

The memo, a copy of which was obtained by the post, alleged he raped the then 30-year-old conservative group staffer in his room after drinking at the hotel bar.

NBC News has not obtained the memo sent to the Trump team. None of this, though, deterring Donald Trump. The New York Times, citing two people

briefed on the discussion that he is standing by Hegsseth reports this, quote, Trump made his view

plain to AIDS after a conversation with Hegsseth days ago,

after the team learned that a woman had accused him of assault in 2017.

We're also learning more about an episode that Hegseth has spoken about before,

his removal from a mission by the D.C. National Guard at Joe Biden's inauguration. Here's how Heggseth described the story

on a podcast a few weeks ago. I was deemed an extremist because of a tattoo by my National Guard

unit in Washington, D.C. And my orders were revoked to guard the Biden inauguration.

A Jerusalem cross tattoo, which is just a Christian symbol.

Is that the ex...

This is the one.

Is that the tattoo?

...