WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth, a popular Fox News host who is being nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after an appearance at an event for Republican women in Monterey, California, according to a released statement of Washington. city. No charges have been filed in the case.

Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press that the allegations are “completely false.”

“This was investigated by the police at the time and they found no evidence,” Parlatore said.

Monterey city officials declined to release a police report documenting the allegations and instead issued a short statement Thursday evening in response to media inquiries.

According to that statement, Monterey police were contacted in October 2017 to investigate a sexual assault that had allegedly occurred several days earlier at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey and involved Hegseth.

The person who reported the assault — whose name, age and gender were not released — had bruises on her right thigh. No weapons were involved in the encounter, the person told police. The incident occurred sometime between 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 7 a.m. the following morning, according to the city’s statement.

Hegseth was in town at the time to address the California Federation of Republican Women during a banquet at the group’s biennial convention, according to social media posts and promotional materials at the time.

The alleged attack was first reported by Vanity Fair Thursday.

Monterey city officials said they did not have more details included in the police report because it included analysis and conclusions by law enforcement authorities that are exempt from release under state public records law.