Pete Hegseth, the man Donald Trump picked to be his Secretary of Defense, is facing serious accusations. Hegseth, who used to work as a host on Fox News, is accused of sexual assault by a woman who claims the incident happened in 2017. Hegseth says the encounter was consensual, but his lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, revealed that Hegseth paid the woman a large amount of money to keep her quiet.
The woman who accused Hegseth of assault was a staff member at a conservative group. She claims that after a night of drinking at a hotel bar in Monterey, California, Hegseth raped her in his hotel room. According to her, she was in her 30s at the time, while Hegseth, now 44, was much older. This accusation was a major shock, especially since Hegseth has a long history in the public eye.
The Payment and the Cover-Up
Hegseth’s lawyer confirmed that a settlement was reached, but didn’t reveal how much money was involved or who the woman was. Parlatore said that the woman was sober that night and that she actually led Hegseth back to his hotel room. He also claimed that Hegseth, who had been drinking, was the one who was taken advantage of.
Parlatore further stated that the woman had texts from her husband asking why she didn’t return to their room that night. This, Parlatore suggested, made her feel pressured to lie about what happened.
The woman eventually filed a police report, but the district attorney chose not to press charges. Later, in 2020, she threatened to take legal action again, which led to the settlement. To make sure she wouldn’t talk about the incident, Hegseth made her sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Surprise Memo and Backlash
Just last week, the Trump team got a memo from one of the woman’s friends, detailing the accusations against Hegseth. This memo seemed to be an attempt to bring the accusations to light again, right when Hegseth’s confirmation for the Department of Defense was being considered.
The memo claimed that the woman was not drunk and that she had actually been responsible for making sure Hegseth got back to his room safely the next morning. However, Parlatore insists the woman was trying to save face with her husband and was fabricating parts of the story.
Despite the controversy, Trump is standing by his choice of Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. The president-elect praised Hegseth’s qualifications and dismissed the accusations, saying there is no evidence to support the claims.
