Hegseth Paid $50,000 in Sexual Assault Settlement Amidst Contentious Confirmation Battle

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, paid $50,000 to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The payment, previously undisclosed, came to light through written answers Hegseth provided to Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as part of his Senate confirmation process.

Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, declined to comment on the specific dollar figure on Thursday but confirmed that a settlement had been reached in November. During his confirmation hearing last week, Hegseth stated that he was “falsely accused” and completely cleared of wrongdoing.

The revelation of this payment arrives as Hegseth’s nomination faces increasing scrutiny and fierce opposition in the Senate. While the nomination advanced along party lines, Democrats and two Republicans have raised concerns about Hegseth’s past, including allegations of excessive drinking and abuse towards his second wife, which he denies.

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, characterized Hegseth’s FBI background check as substandard. He said that he and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) received multiple FBI briefings about Hegseth, an unusual occurrence in his 25 years on the committee.

The details of these briefings, according to a person familiar with the matter, included a statement from Hegseth’s second wife, Samantha Hegseth, to the FBI, alleging that Pete Hegseth has and continues to have a problem with alcohol abuse. This statement was briefed to Senators Wicker and Reed on January 16 by Trump’s transition team, two days after Hegseth’s confirmation hearing.

Parlatore dismissed Reed’s claims as a “knowing lie,” asserting that Samantha Hegseth had acknowledged not spending time with her ex-husband for approximately seven years, while confirming that he “drinks more often than not.”

Additional controversy surfaced in the form of an affidavit submitted to senators on Tuesday by a former sister-in-law of Hegseth, detailing allegations of his repeated drunkenness and abusive behavior toward Samantha Hegseth, to the point where she feared for her safety. Hegseth and his ex-wife both deny these allegations. Parlatore called the affidavit “a clear and admitted partisan attempt to derail Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation.”

The $50,000 payment was made years after the woman reported to police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her in a California hotel room in 2017. According to an investigative report released in November, she alleged Hegseth took her phone, blocked the door, and refused to allow her to leave. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.

Police forwarded their report to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review, but charges were ultimately declined in January 2018, due to insufficient “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

According to Parlatore, the settlement payment was made due to concerns that the woman would pursue a lawsuit, which could have led to Hegseth losing his job at Fox News.