Last update:November 17, 2024, 11:10 PM IST

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, was accused of sexual assault in 2017 and has denied any wrongdoing.

Pete Hegseth’s lawyer said the encounter was consensual and he was the victim of “successful extortion” (Image: Facebook)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense, paid off a woman who accused him of sexual assault to avoid the threat of a groundless lawsuit, according to Hegseth’s lawyer.

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. No charges have been filed.

His attorney, Tim Parlatore, said Associated Press on Sunday, that the sexual encounter was consensual and that the woman who made the allegation days later was the “assailant.” That claim was not confirmed in the statement issued by the city.

Parlatore said a payment was made to the woman 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 Newswhere she was then a popular host. Parlatore did not disclose the amount of the payment.

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

The Washington Post previously reported payment details. The newspaper also said it had obtained a copy of a memo sent to Trump’s transition team last week by a woman who said she was friends with the accuser detailing allegations of sexual assault.

Trump’s transition team had no immediate comment Sunday on the memo.

The person who reported the assault — whose name, age and gender were not released — had bruises on her right thigh, according to the city’s statement. 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 Monterey 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.

Monterey 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.

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. 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.

After the allegations surfaced last week, Steven Cheung, a Trump transition spokesman, issued a statement saying the president-elect was “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 on day one to make America safe and great again,” Cheung said.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)

Location:

Washington DC, United States of America (USA)