US Defense pick Pete Hegseth paid woman to hush sexual assault but denies act as ‘consensual’

Pete Hegseth, recently chosen by President-elect Donald Trump as the nominee for secretary of defense, paid a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct, according to a nondisclosure agreement. However, Hegseth althrough maintained that the act was consensual.

Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, said that Hegseth was “visibly intoxicated” at the time of the incident, and claimed that when police were contacted by the woman several days later concluded that she had been the aggressor, as per the documents obtained by Washington Post. Police have not verified this claim.

The report also stated that Hegseth agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to the woman because he feared that revelation of the matter “would result in his immediate termination from Fox.”

A memo sent to Trump's transition team this week by the woman's friend who alleged that Pete Hegseth raped a 30-year-old conservative group staffer in his room after drinking at a hotel bar. The incident occured in October 2017. The memo has been obtained by The Washington Post.

The accuser filed a police report days later in Monterey, California, but no charges were brought by the district attorney. However, when she threatened a lawsuit in 2020, Hegseth paid her as part of a nondisclosure agreement.

Documents from Hegseth’s attorney and a memo from a friend of the accuser, who claimed to be "present and involved" in the case, offer conflicting accounts of what happened seven years ago at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel. Both sides, however, agree that Hegseth had a sexual encounter with the woman.

Despite the debate around the controversy, Trump stood by him. Spokesman Steven Cheung earlier this week said: “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. 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.”