WASHINGTON – Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s pick as defense secretary, paid off a woman who accused him of sexual assault to stave off the threat of a baseless lawsuit, according to Hegseth’s attorney.
Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking appearance at a Republican women’s event in Monterey, California, according to a statement from the city. No charges have been filed.
His lawyer, Tim Parlatore, told the Associated Press on Sunday that the sexual encounter was consensual and that the woman who made the accusation days later was the “aggressor.” This claim is not confirmed in the city’s statement.
Parlatore said a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential settlement a few years after the police investigation because Hegseth believed filing a threatened lawsuit could have gotten him fired from Fox News, where he was then a popular anchor. Parlatore would 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 details of the payment. The newspaper also reported that it had obtained a copy of a memo sent to Trump’s transition team last week by a woman who said she was a friend of the accuser, detailing the sexual abuse allegations.
Trump’s transition team had no immediate comment on the memo on Sunday.
The person who reported the assault — whose name, age and gender were not released — had bruises on the 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 next morning, according to the city’s statement.
Hegseth was in Monterey at the time to address the California Federation of Republican Women at a banquet dinner at the group’s biennial convention, according to social media posts and promotional materials from the time.
Monterey officials said they withheld further details in the police report because it contained analyzes and conclusions from law enforcement officers who are exempt from release under the state’s public records law.
At the time of the 2017 allegations, Hegseth, now 44, was divorcing 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 documents and social media posts from Hegseth. His first marriage ended in 2009, also after Hegseth’s infidelity, court records show.
After the allegations first came to light last week, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump transition, issued a statement saying the president-elect is “nominating highly qualified and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his administration.”
“Mr. Hegseth has strongly denied all allegations and no charges have been filed. We look forward to his appointment as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get to work on day one to make America safe and great again,” said Cheung.
