Pete Hegseth arrives at Trump Tower in New York in November 2016. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Senior officials in President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team on Friday weighed in on the future of Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, amid new revelations that police were investigating an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017.

The internal turmoil over Hegseth’s future was sparked by a complaint shared with the transition team with extensive information about a woman’s claim that Hegseth assaulted her at a Monterey, Calif., hotel after a Republican convention, according to a person familiar with the matter. the complaint that spoke. on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. The woman who wrote the complaint said the alleged victim was a friend who later signed a nondisclosure agreement with Hegseth.

Monterey police confirmed that they investigated Hegseth in connection with an allegation of “alleged sexual assault” in 2017 and that the incident did not lead to criminal charges.

The transition team was surprised by the detailed allegations and now fears more negative revelations about Hegseth, the person familiar with the complaint said. “There’s a lot of frustration about it,” the person said. “It had not been properly vetted.”

The woman who wrote the complaint did not respond to requests for comment from The Washington Post.

Tim Parlatore, an attorney for Hegseth, said Friday that the assault allegation was “fully investigated and found to be untrue.” Asked if Hegseth had sought a nondisclosure agreement with the woman, Parlatore said there were “no other skeletons to come out of.” He added: “There is no reason for me to retire that I know of.”

The president-elect was not told the extent of the sexual misconduct allegation before selecting Hegseth as his Pentagon nominee because no private firm had vetted him, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. .

Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said in a statement that Trump stands with Hegseth.

“President Trump is nominating high-caliber and highly qualified candidates to serve in his administration,” Cheung said. “Mr. Hegseth has strongly denied all allegations and no charges have been filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can begin on day one to make America safe and great again.”

The alleged incident occurred while Hegseth was attending a California Republican Women’s Federation conference in Monterey and allegedly took place between shortly before midnight on Oct. 7, 2017, and 7 a.m. the following morning at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa, according to the police. statement, first reported by Vanity Fair. The allegation to police was made on October 12, 2017, the report said.

The police statement did not provide any further details other than to say that the complainant had a bruise on her right thigh and that no weapon or property was involved.

The Post could find no reference in court records to the matter. The police statement did not reveal the name of the complainant, citing her identity and age as “Confidential”. The Post also generally does not name alleged victims of sexual assault.

A Facebook post by a group called Fresno Republican Women shows Hegseth speaking to GOP women in Monterey on the day of the alleged attack. “Pete Hegseth is speaking to a great crowd of Republican women in Monterey,” the post said.

Shirley Mark, who was president of the California Federation of Republican Women at the time, according to tax filings, said in a brief interview Thursday that she had heard something about the allegation but did not know the accuser’s identity and had no comment.

Hegseth has been married three times, according to court documents. He married his first wife, Meredith, when he was 20, and they divorced in 2009, according to Minnesota court records. The couple agreed that the reasons for the split were an “irretrievable breakdown” of the marriage and Hegseth’s “infidelity,” according to a filing in their divorce case. She declined to comment.

He married his second wife, Samantha, in 2010. Hegseth had a child with another woman, Jennifer Rauchet, then a Fox News producer, in August 2017 during that marriage. According to court records, Samantha Hegseth, who did not respond to a request for comment, filed for divorce in September — a month after the baby was born. After the second divorce, Hegseth married Rauchet.

Hegseth is one of several Trump Cabinet picks who could face resistance in the Senate. His selection surprised many. The Fox News host, who served in the Army National Guard, echoed Trump’s complaints that the military is too “woke” and, during Trump’s first term, successfully encouraged the president to pardon military officers accused of crimes war over Pentagon objections.

Trump’s team began formally vetting Hegseth after Trump called him Nov. 7 to ask if he was interested in becoming defense secretary, a person familiar with the conversations told The Post, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private meetings. .

Trump’s pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, also faces renewed scrutiny over sexual misconduct allegations ahead of a potentially contentious confirmation battle. Last year, the Justice Department dropped an investigation into allegations that Gaetz violated sex-trafficking laws in a case involving a 17-year-old girl, but the House Ethics Committee looked into the matter more recently and was on way to vote to release a report when Gaetz resigned from Congress this week — right after Trump’s decision to pick him for attorney general. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing.

The president-elect himself has also been accused over the years of sexual harassment and assault — allegations he denies. A jury in a civil trial last year found Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll and ordered him to pay damages.

Hannah Knowles, Jonathan O’Connell and Missy Ryan contributed to this report.