A lawyer for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the defense secretary, confirmed that a woman who accused him of sexual assault was paid as part of a confidentiality agreement.

Hegseth’s attorney, Tim Parlatore, told The Associated Press that the settlement was made to prevent her from filing a frivolous lawsuit.

Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after an appearance at a Republican Women’s Speech in Monterey, California, according to a statement released by the city.

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The person who reported the assault had bruises on his right thigh, according to the city’s statement. No charges have been filed.

Hegseth’s lawyer said the sexual encounter was consensual.

Fox & Friends host Pete Hegseth at the National Council of Young Israel Gala in New York. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The woman was paid as part of a confidentiality agreement several years after the police investigation because Hegseth believed that filing a threatened lawsuit could have gotten him fired from Fox News, where he was then a popular host, his lawyer claims .

Parlatore did not disclose the amount of the payment.

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“He was falsely accused, and my position is that he was the victim of blackmail,” Parlatore said, calling it a case of “successful extortion.”

Hegseth was in Monterey at the time to address the California Federation of Republican Women. At the time of the allegations in 2017, Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce with his second wife, with whom he has three children.

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She filed for divorce after having a child with a Fox News producer, who is now his wife, according to court records and Hegseth’s social media posts. His first marriage ended in 2009, also after Hegseth’s infidelity, according to court records.

Steven Cheung, a Trump transition spokesman, issued a statement saying the president-elect is “nominating high caliber and highly qualified candidates to serve in his administration.”

“Mr Hegseth has strongly denied all allegations and no charges have been laid. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can begin from day one to make America safe and great again,” Cheung said.