An lawyer for Pete Hegseth, incoming President Donald Trump’s nominee to steer the Protection Division, stated in a press release that Hegseth paid a girl who accused him of sexual assault in 2017 as a result of he feared dropping his job at Fox Information, in accordance with multiple reports.
Hegseth has denied the sexual assault allegation and was by no means charged. He paid the lady as a part of a settlement settlement that included a confidentiality provision after she threatened litigation in 2020, the lawyer told media outlets.
He’s amongst quite a few controversial nominees Trump has superior for high-profile positions in his second administration. Hegseth has attracted consideration for controversial views about girl serving in fight and variety within the navy, statements about firing navy management and his lack of high-level expertise in authorities or the nationwide safety sphere.
Hegseth, 44, labored with Fox Information from 2014 till he left following the information of his nomination. He joined the Military ROTC in faculty and was deployed abroad with the Military Nationwide Guard after graduating, together with serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Trump, who was discovered liable in a civil case final 12 months for sexual abuse and defamation in opposition to the author E Jean Carroll, is standing by Hegseth amid the revelation that he was accused of sexual assault.
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“Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no expenses have been filed,” Trump transition spokesperson Steven Cheung stated in a press release to USA TODAY final week. “We sit up for his affirmation as United States Secretary of Protection.”
Metropolis officers in Monterey, California, launched a press release Thursday confirming Hegseth’s involvement in an investigation into an alleged sexual assault, with out disclosing substantial particulars on the incident or who the allegations have been in opposition to.
In keeping with the police assertion, the incident occurred someday in a single day between Oct. 7-8, 2017. The handle listed on the report is that of the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course. The incident was reported to police 4 days later, the discharge said.
A girl who says she is a buddy of Hegseth’s accuser despatched a four-page memo to the Trump transition staff lately laying out the allegations in opposition to the president-elect’s decide to steer the Pentagon.
The memo, which was obtained by the Washington Post and confirmed in other reports, says the 30-year-old girl was on the resort with the California Federation of Republican Ladies, a gaggle Hegseth was chatting with. She was staying on the resort along with her husband and kids, and was answerable for getting Hegseth again to his room in time after his speech and to the airport in time the following day.
The lady’s reminiscence of what she alleges occurred with Hegseth is “hazy,” in accordance with the memo, however the subsequent day she “had a second of hazy reminiscence of being raped the night time earlier than, and had a panic assault.” She was examined at an emergency room.
Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore stated in a press release to USA TODAY Sunday that “Mr. Hegseth is totally harmless.”
“He was cleared after a police investigation decided that the lady was the aggressor within the state of affairs and was then the topic of blackmail,” Parlatore alleged, declining to offer further particulars when requested why Hegseth agreed to a monetary settlement.
Kinsey Crowley contributed to this report
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