Pete Hegseth Published Column Saying Sex with Unconscious Woman Isn't Rape

In November 2024, Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, came under scrutiny for his past, in which a woman had accused him of sexual assault. In response, Snopes readers and various online posts raised another action from Hegseth’s past — varied claims that he had either published or written a college newspaper column that said sex with an unconscious woman was not rape.

The claim appeared on X, along with a screenshot of text from the alleged article. The X post stated Hegseth was responsible for publishing such a column: “Pete Hegseth published a column in college that claimed having sex with an unconscious woman is not rape. The piece published by Hegseth claimed that rape required both the failure to consent and ‘duress,’ and women who are passed out cannot experience ‘duress.'”

(X user @JuddLegum)

One post on X claimed Hegseth wrote the column himself: “[Hegseth] wrote an article for his college newspaper stating that having sex with an unconscious woman isn’t rape. Why? Because the criteria for rape isn’t met. Well duh, she’s unconscious and can’t say no or fight back.”

(X user @LittleS61138811)

The quoted column stated:

[A] bemusing yet mandatory orientation program, revolved entirely around whether an instance of sexual intercourse constituted “rape.” The actual instance portrayed in the skit was in fact not a clear case of rape – at least not in my home state. (In short, though intercourse was not consented to, there was no duress because the girl drank herself into unconsciousness. Both criteria must be satisfied for rape. Unfortunately, the panelists never cited any legal definition of rape.) Yet the panel – all females in the session I attended – claimed that rape it was.

In short, Hegseth did publish such a column while he held the role of publisher of The Princeton Tory magazine. To be clear, he did not write it himself. The column was written in the September 2002 issue by another student, John Andrews.

We reached out to Hegseth to learn more about his role in the decision-making process for the magazine’s content back then. We will update this story if we get more information.

Was Hegseth The Princeton Tory’s Publisher?

Hegseth, who graduated in 2003, was a student at Princeton University and the publisher of The Princeton Tory magazine.

We found the quoted section on Page 9 of the September 2002 issue of the magazine, which describes itself as “the sole voice for conservative and moderate students at Princeton University.” The writer, John Andrews, wrote (emphasis, ours):

Furthermore, the leadership’s will to indoctrinate is demonstrated by such fiascoes as the aforementioned “Reflections on Diversity” and also “Sex on a Saturday Night.” The latter, a bemusing yet mandatory orientation program, revolved entirely around whether an instance of sexual intercourse constituted “rape.” The actual instance portrayed in the skit was in fact not a clear case of rape – at least not in my home state. (In short, though intercourse was not consented to, there was no duress because the girl drank herself into unconsciousness. Both criteria must be satisfied for rape. Unfortunately, the panelists never cited any legal definition of rape.) Yet the panel – all females in the session I attended – claimed that rape it was. Regardless of technicalities, this esoteric incident was the sole focus of the presentation. The panel ignored the mundane yet profound moral issues surrounding sexuality with which the student is confronted on a daily basis. The administration does the student body a great moral disservice when it implements a program covering the logistics of the one-night-stand, in a very permissive manner, while ignoring the metaphysics.

To summarize, Andrews was saying that because the girl was not resisting force or threats, and because she was unconscious, it was not a clear example of rape.

The second page of this issue of The Princeton Tory has a welcome note from Hegseth as the publisher. He wrote:

It is our hope that the Tory will, in some way, help shape the way you view the world. If you’re conservative, please write — if not, please read. We believe that conservative ideas — minimal government, personal responsibility, traditional family values, and a strong military — are the cornerstone of any strong society. And while academia has turned its back on most things traditional and conservative, we present our views as a challenge to those who attempt to build a new world by destroying many of the qualities we value in our civilization.

In Princeton Alumni Weekly, an official alumni-focused magazine from the university, a November 2024 article described Hegseth when he was an undergraduate publisher of The Princeton Tory. He was critical of one women’s organization on campus, and his magazine also published a letter mocking a campus Pride event:

In his year as Tory publisher, he sought to “‘legitimate conservatism as a philosophy’ and ‘facilitate a campus discussion,'” he wrote at the close of his term. He went on to detail the kind of political philosophy he would later espouse as a Fox News anchor, decrying those who call conservatives intolerant of “gays, feminists, and atheists” and praising conservatives’ “tangible solutions for societal ills.”

“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.

During his term as Tory publisher, Hegseth was critical of the Organization of Women Leaders (OWL) on campus, even running a cover story featuring an illustration of an owl in a gun’s crosshairs. In his 2020 book, American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free, Hegseth detailed his interactions with OWL members, describing an episode where they endorsed a male candidate for Undergraduate Student Government president on the basis that he was pro-choice, over the female candidate who was pro-life. PAW could not independently confirm this claim; Prince articles at the time don’t mention abortion as a campaign issue.

“Through that experience,” Hegseth wrote in 2020, “I realized that old-school feminism (you know, actually fighting for women’s equality) was dead and leftism had taken over.”

Support for studying the Western canon surfaced in his missives, as well as LGBTQ issues. In October 2002, under Hegseth’s leadership, the “Tory editors” published a note mocking pride events on campus: “Hey, boys can wear bras and girls can wear ties until we’re blue in the face, but it won’t change the reality that the homosexual lifestyle is abnormal and immoral.”

In sum, while Hegseth did not write the aforementioned article about rape, he was publisher of The Princeton Tory when the issue in question was released. Publishers generally focus on and are responsible for a magazine’s editorial and commercial direction.

Snopes reached out to the magazine to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of the publisher. Alexandra Orbuch, the current publisher at The Princeton Tory, said via email that the roles of the publisher change with each magazine administration:

The responsibilities of each member of the publication’s masthead vary between administrations, so it’s difficult to say what the Publisher role entailed in 2002. Currently, the Editor-in-Chief role is more focused on content and editing, while the Publisher role is more focused on organizational and fundraising needs––though content remains part of the Publisher’s purview to some extent. But, again, as this was over 20 years ago, I cannot speak on behalf of Pete or provide specific insights into his decisions. The roles are determined within each administration, so only the Publisher or Editor-in-Chief at the specific time could provide an accurate description of the respective responsibilities.

Hegseth left his position at Fox News after Trump nominated him for defense secretary. However, his attorney confirmed to NPR that he had paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault to prevent her from suing him, and that arrangement reportedly was designed to protect his position at Fox News. Hegseth denied her allegations.

Sources:

Andrews, John. “Confessions of an Ex-Freshman: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” The Princeton Tory, Sept. 2002, https://www.theprincetontory.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/2002-Freshman.pdf. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Chappell, Bill. “Police Report Gives Details, Timeline of the Sexual Assault Claim against Pete Hegseth.” NPR, 21 Nov. 2024. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2024/11/21/nx-s1-5199630/police-report-gives-details-timeline-of-the-sexual-assault-claim-against-pete-hegseth. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

“The Princeton Tory – The Leading Princeton Publication of Conservative Thought.” The Princeton Tory. https://www.theprincetontory.com/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

“What Was Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth ’03 Like at Princeton?” Princeton Alumni Weekly, Nov. 13, 2024. https://paw.princeton.edu/article/what-was-defense-secretary-nominee-pete-hegseth-03-princeton. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

“What Are the Job Duties of a Publisher?” Chron, 13 Aug. 2013, https://work.chron.com/job-duties-publisher-24391.html. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.