A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room, and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday (November 20, 2024).

“Hegseth, a Fox News personality and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing,” the report said.

News of the allegations surfaced last week when local officials released a brief statement confirming that a woman had accused Mr. Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017 after he had spoken at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.

Hegseth’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Thursday (November 21, 2024). He has said Mr. Hegseth paid the woman in 2023 to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit.

The 22-page police report was released in response to a public records request and offers the first detailed account of what the woman alleged to have transpired — one that is at odds with Mr. Hegseth’s version of events. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel staffer, another woman at the event, and Mr. Hegseth.

The woman’s name was not released, and The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually assaulted.

A spokeswoman for the Mr. Trump transition said early Thursday (November 21, 2024) that the “report corroborates what Mr. Hegseth’s attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false.”

The report does not say that police found the allegations were false. Police recommended the case report be forwarded to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Investigators were first alerted to the alleged assault, the report said, by a nurse who called them after a patient requested a sexual assault exam. The patient told medical personnel she believed she was assaulted five days earlier but couldn’t remember much about what had happened. She reported something may have been slipped into her drink before ending up in the hotel room where she said the assault occurred.

Police collected the unwashed dress and underwear she had worn that night, the report said.

The woman’s partner, who was staying at the hotel with her, told police that he was worried about her that night after she didn’t come back to their room. At 2 a.m., he went to the hotel bar, but she wasn’t there. She made it back a few hours later, apologizing that she “must have fallen asleep.” A few days later, she told him she had been sexually assaulted.

The woman, who helped organize the California Federation of Republican Women gathering at which Mr. Hegseth spoke, told police that she had witnessed the TV anchor acting inappropriately throughout the night and saw him stroking multiple women’s thighs. She texted a friend that Mr. Hegseth was giving off a “creeper” vibe, according to the report.

After the event, the woman and others attended an afterparty in a hotel suite where she said she confronted Mr. Hegseth, telling him that she “did not appreciate how he treated women,” the report states.

A group of people, including Mr. Hegseth and the woman, decamped for the hotel’s bar. That’s when “things got fuzzy,” the woman told police.

She remembered having a drink at the bar with Mr. Hegseth and others, the police report states. She also told police that she argued with Mr. Hegseth near the hotel pool, an account that is supported by a hotel staffer who was sent to handle the disturbance and spoke to police, according to the report.

Soon, she told police, she was inside a hotel room with Mr. Hegseth, who took her phone and blocked the door with his body so that she could not leave, according to the report. She also told police she remembered “saying ‘no’ a lot,” the report said.

Her next memory was laying on a couch or bed with Mr. Hegseth hovering over her bare chest, his dog tags dangling over her, the report states. Mr. Hegseth served in the National Guard, rising to the rank of major.

After Mr. Hegseth finished, she recalled him asking if she was “OK,” the report states. She told police she did not recall how she got back to her own hotel room and had since suffered from nightmares and memory loss.

At the time of the alleged assault in 2017, Mr. Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce with his second wife, with whom he has three children. She filed for divorce after he had a child with a Fox News producer who is now his wife, according to court records and social media posts by Mr. Hegseth. His first marriage ended in 2009, also after infidelity by Mr. Hegseth, according to court records.

Mr. Hegseth said he attended an afterparty and drank beer but did not consume liquor, and acknowledged being “buzzed” but not drunk.

He said he met the woman at the hotel bar, and she led him by the arm back to his hotel room, which surprised him because he initially had no intention of having sex with her, the report said.

Mr. Hegseth told investigators that the sexual encounter that followed was consensual, adding that he explicitly asked more than once if she was comfortable. Mr. Hegseth said in the morning the woman “showed early signs of regret,” and he assured her that he wouldn’t tell anyone about the encounter.

Mr. Hegseth’s attorney said a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential settlement a few years after the police investigation because Mr. Hegseth was concerned that she was prepared to file a lawsuit that he feared could have resulted in him being fired from Fox News, where he was a popular host. The attorney would not reveal the amount of the payment.

Washington:

Facing questions about an alleged sexual assault and medieval-themed tattoos linked to extremist groups, Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth would struggle to be confirmed for the job under normal circumstances.

But these are not normal times in Washington.

Hegseth, a Fox News host, was picked by Trump on Tuesday in one of several nominations that wrong-footed even some in his remodeled Republican Party and threw down a challenge to the Senate.

To take up the position as head of the Pentagon and oversee 3.4 million employees, Hegseth will require confirmation from the upper house — and Trump is publicly pressuring lawmakers to show loyalty to his agenda.

Read | Who Is Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon Pick For Secretary Of Defense

Revelations in recent days about the 44-year-old have made his path to power more difficult, including that the thrice-married former soldier was investigated for sexual assault in California in 2017.

No charges were filed over an encounter in a Monterey hotel that saw an unnamed accuser lodge a police report, but the claim has led to questions about the vetting process for the former soldier.

According to the Washington Post, Hegseth paid an undisclosed sum to the woman several years later as part of a nondisclosure agreement, though he maintained that their encounter was consensual.

Medieval

His tattoos have also raised questions, leading to him being stood down by his Army National Guard unit when it was called up for the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2020.

Speaking on a podcast with fellow veteran Shawn Ryan earlier this month, he revealed that one of his fellow soldiers had flagged him as a possible white nationalist because of his body art.

He claimed it was because of the medieval Jerusalem Cross on his chest, but he also has the words “Deus Vult” on his bicep — a phrase meaning “God wills it” that was used by anti-Muslim crusaders in the Middle Ages.

Read | Don’t Believe In Germs, Not Washed Hands In 10 Years, Jokes Fox News Host

European medieval imagery and slogans have been widely adopted by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in recent years, but Hegseth says his tattoos simply reflect his faith.

“It’s a Christian symbol,” the author of a 2020 book entitled “American Crusade” said of the Jerusalem Cross.

His handling of medieval weaponry has gone viral in recent days after a video re-emerged of him taking part in a televised axe-throwing contest which saw him miss the target and strike a bystander, who narrowly escaped serious injury.

Trump favourite

His CV includes combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq and he rose to the rank of major in the National Guard — a lowly status compared to the generals and admirals he would oversee at the Pentagon. Hegseth boasts degrees from elite US universities, including an undergraduate from Princeton and a master’s from Harvard.

Square-jawed and outspoken, he came to Trump’s attention on the “Fox & Friends Weekend” show that he co-hosts.

“You know the military better than anyone,” Trump told him during an appearance in early June, adding that he often thought about putting him in charge of the Pentagon.

A former Republican operative who vetted Hegseth when Trump was considering him for the more junior veterans affairs secretary in 2016 wrote this week that he remained unqualified and an “empty vessel.”

Lacking major experience in foreign affairs or congressional politics, Hegseth’s only civilian management credential was being CEO of a small non-profit, the former operative Justin Higgins wrote for MSNBC.

“It’s not hard to imagine that he would do and say whatever Trump wants,” he added.

Hegseth’s main policy focus in his books and media appearances is tackling what he calls “woke shit” in the armed forces — and he has expressed support for purging the top brass.

He told Ryan on his podcast that his experiences taught him that “the bigotry we saw on the outside (of the army) should not be tolerated inside the military” but that progressive efforts to tackle racism and sexism had gone too far.

“The army that I enlisted in, that I swore an oath to in 2001 and was commissioned in 2003 looks a lot different than the army of today because we’re focused on a lot of the wrong things,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

President Donald Trump appears on Fox & Friends co-host Pete Hegseth at a Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride event in the East Room of the White House on April 6, 2017.
| Photo Credit: AP

One of Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks just became even more so: Pete Hegseth, tapped for Defence Secretary, was accused of sexual assault in 2017, according to police.

No charges were filed in the case, but shocked Trump transition team officials are nonetheless reportedly weighing next steps for the Fox News host, whose nomination took many in Washington by surprise.

President-elect Trump nominated the 44-year-old National Guard veteran on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) to run the world’s most powerful military, despite having never managed a large organization.

The police in Monterey, California confirmed on Thursday (November 14, 2024) that they had investigated “an alleged sexual assault” at a hotel involving Mr. Hegseth that included bruising to the victim’s right thigh, in early October 2017.

News of the woman’s accusations caught the Trump team off guard, according to Vanity Fair, which first reported the story.

Mr. Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore told the publication that the allegation “was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.”

And Mr. Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said that Mr. Hegseth “has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed.

“We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again,” Mr. Cheung said.

Mr. Hegseth’s hearing in the Senate is likely to be among the more fraught, not only due to his lack of experience but also other controversies, such as his lobbying of Mr. Trump during his first term to pardon service members accused of war crimes.

Mr. Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014 and now co-hosts Fox and Friends Weekend and serves as a host for Fox Nation.

He additionally served as an infantry officer in the National Guard, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The accusations against Mr. Hegseth come as Mr. Trump’s pick for attorney general, far-right former congressman Matt Gaetz, stunned many following his lengthy embroilment in sexual misconduct allegations.

And Mr. Trump himself was convicted of financial wrongdoing for covering up payments to a former porn star and found liable for defaming and sexually abusing an author.

Mr. Hegseth has been married three times, divorcing his first wife in 2009 following an “irretrievable breakdown” and “infidelity,” according to the Washington Post.

His second wife filed for divorce in September 2017, one month after he had a baby with a Fox News producer whom he subsequently married, according to U.S. media.

Washington:

Donald Trump did not lose a minute to assemble his new cabinet ministers, but that has received quite extreme reactions. The structure of Trump 2.0 White House has left leaders “stunned” and “appalled”, with some of his choices even rubbing Republicans the wrong way. George Conway, a lawyer and activist said that Trump’s nominations, “would arguably have been the worst in American history”.

Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence

Photo Credit: Reuters

Trump’s decision to nominate Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence has raised concerns among national security experts. Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, lacks formal intelligence experience, sparking worries about her ability to lead the intelligence community.

Her background is marked by a significant shift in political allegiance, having run for president in the Democratic primaries in 2020, only to leave the party in 2022 and endorse Trump. This drastic change has led some to question her suitability for the role.

Gabbard’s experience includes serving on the House Committee on Homeland Security for two years, but she has never held a senior government position or worked directly in intelligence. Her anti-interventionist stance, advocating for US non-involvement in global conflicts, has also been at odds with the US Intelligence Community’s decisions.

The nomination has been met with scepticism from some members of Congress, including Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, who expressed her dismay on social media. 

“Not only is [Gabbard] ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics in conspiracy theories and cosies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin,” Spanberg said.

Jamie Metzl, a former Clinton administration official said, “If you are part of a foreign government, even an allied government, are you really going to want to share your most important intelligence with the United States government, recognizing that there are people who are at central nodes in our government who are so sympathetic to our adversaries?” he asked. “It’s really concerning.”

With Gabbard’s unconventional background and shifting political loyalties, concerns about her ability to effectively lead the intelligence community remain.

Matt Gaetz – Attorney General

Photo Credit: Reuters

Matt Gaetz, a U.S. congressman from Florida since 2017, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for attorney general, sparking controversy due to pending allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. 

Gaetz resigned from his House seat just hours after Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, amid a scheduled House Ethics Committee vote on releasing the results of an extensive investigation into these allegations, which Gaetz denies.

As attorney general, Gaetz would oversee the Justice Department, which has been investigating him for years on sex trafficking and obstruction of justice allegations. 

Notably, Gaetz was informed last year that he wouldn’t face charges, but the House ethics investigation remains ongoing.

The nomination caught fellow Republicans off guard, with CNN reporting an “audible gasp” from House Republicans during a closed-door meeting when the news broke.

“I was shocked at the nomination,” Senator Susan Collins said when she first heard about the announcement.

Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said, “Do you think he’s a serious candidate? Not as far as I’m concerned.”

Gaetz’s appointment has raised concerns, given the serious allegations against him and the significant role of the attorney general in leading the Justice Department. Trump’s decision to nominate Gaetz highlights the contentious nature of his cabinet selections following his presidential election victory against Democrat Kamala Harris.

Robert F Kennedy Jr – Health Secretary

Photo Credit: Reuters

Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services has sparked widespread criticism due to Kennedy’s history of promoting debunked health-related conspiracy theories, particularly his anti-vaccine stance. 

As a member of one of America’s most prominent political families, being the son of late Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, his views have drawn significant attention.

He is anti-vaccination and has claimed vaccines are linked to autism, despite evidence disproving this claim. He advocates for removing fluoride from public drinking water, contrary to CDC recommendations that highlight its benefits in preventing cavities and promoting oral health. 

He also supports the consumption of raw milk and the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, both of which have been disputed by health experts. Kennedy has also made unusual claims about his own health, including having a brain worm which “ate a portion of it and then died”.

Public Citizen, a non-profit, progressive consumer rights advocacy group, said, “Robert F Kennedy Jr is a clear and present danger to the nation’s health. He shouldn’t be allowed in the building at the department of health and human services (HHS), let alone be placed in charge of the nation’s public health agency.”

These views have raised concerns about Kennedy’s potential impact on the nation’s health policies, especially considering his plans to tackle America’s substance abuse crisis, an issue he has personal experience with, as he was addicted to heroin for 14 years during his youth.

Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary

Photo Credit: X account of @PeteHegseth

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host, as his Secretary of Defense, despite Hegseth’s past criticism of Trump’s foreign policy and military stances during the 2016 campaign. Hegseth had called Trump’s foreign policy views “shallow” but later became a strong supporter.

Hegseth’s nomination is notable, given his unconventional background for the role. He has served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, earning several awards, including the Bronze Star Medal. 

However, his views on certain issues may raise concerns. For instance, Hegseth opposes women serving in combat roles, arguing it lowers military standards and effectiveness. “Women shouldn’t be in combat at all. They’re life-givers, not life-takers. I know a lot of wonderful soldiers, female soldiers, who have served, who are great. But they shouldn’t be in my infantry battalion,” he told Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator in an interview.

He supports troops accused or convicted of war crimes and has advocated for their pardon. He also wants to fire senior officers who support “woke policies”.

Given these stances, Hegseth may face a challenging confirmation process in the Senate. His nomination has already sparked controversy, highlighting the need for careful consideration of his qualifications and views. 

“He is the least qualified person in history of the job,” said a former defence official from Trump’s administration.

As a Fox News personality, Hegseth has been vocal about his opinions, but as Secretary of Defense, his decisions would have far-reaching implications for national security.