For-profit colleges enlisted Hegseth to press their policy case through his Trump access
Reporting and findings
- reported
ProPublica reported on November 20, 2019 that Pete Hegseth, then a Fox News host who spoke with and dined with Donald Trump, had become the face of a for-profit-college trade-group campaign defending the federal 90/10 revenue-rule carveout for veterans' benefits, had made at least eleven appearances for the group and related organizations, and had pledged at its convention to advise Trump against legislation closing the carveout if Trump called; ProPublica reported that neither Hegseth nor the group disclosed whether it paid him and that two related op-eds did not disclose the work.
- ProPublica: For-Profit Colleges Tap a Fox News Host to Influence TrumpNovember 20, 2019 investigation; Trump access, at least eleven appearances, policy pledge, compensation limits, and op-ed disclosures
Summary and current status
The reporting documents the access pitch, the trade group's campaign, and the missing compensation disclosure without claiming that Hegseth changed federal policy.
ProPublica reported the advocacy; compensation from the trade group was not disclosed
People and organizations
- Donald J. TrumpDonald Trump root
- Pete HegsethTrump confidant enlisted in private-industry policy campaign
Relationships in this file
- Donald J. TrumpTrump confidant who invoked access in for-profit-college advocacyPete Hegseth