New in SpyWeek: Rise of the Unqualified

The woes of Trump’s national security nominees and a disturbing report on an alleged Havana Syndrome coverup lead this week's roundup.

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HEGSETH’S SWEATBOX: The torrent of attention focused on Pete Hegseth, who spent the week trying to save his nomination as defense secretary, has made things easier on the other nominees on Trump’s national security team with questionable résumés. Donald Trump said Friday that Hegseth would be “fantastic” in the job and is “doing very well,” regardless of the reports of sexual assault, financial mismanagement and drunken and boorish behavior that have considerably dimmed his chances of being confirmed.

Pete Hegseth in happier times, at Fox

With Hegseth in hot water, Trump’s picks for director of national intelligence and FBI director, both of whom were widely seen as unqualified for the job, have gotten a relative pass. 

Still, something is brewing behind the scenes about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for DNI. The Associated Press reported that nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings on Gabbard, focusing on “the protection of our intelligence sources and methods.” That could be related to an ABC report that Gabbard regularly read and shared articles from the Russian state-owned news outlet RT "long after" she was advised that the outlet was not a credible source of information. In fact, it’s a Kremlin-controlled media organ that regularly spews disinformation.

Meanwhile, don’t miss SpyTalk’s exclusive two-part series about what happened to a Hawaii journalist who questioned Gabbard about her visit to Syria. Spoiler alert: Think Scientology.

Trump’s nominee to run the FBI, Kash Patel, also a fan of conspiracy theories, has also managed to stay on the edge of the limelight.