Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth was involved in investigation into 2017 sexual assault allegation

By CNN Newsource

Published November 15, 2024 1:42 AM

By Casey Tolan, Scott Glover and Kyung Lah, CNN

Monterey, California (CNN) — Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, was involved in a police investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2017, local officials in California confirmed Thursday night.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the city government of Monterey, California, said its police department had investigated “an alleged sexual assault” involving Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran. The alleged assault took place in the early morning hours of October 8, 2017, at the address of the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa, and was reported four days later, according to the statement.

Hegseth was a speaker at a conference held by the California Federation of Republican Women at the hotel during the timeframe when the alleged assault took place, according to photos of the event posted on Facebook.

The city’s statement did not specifically identify Hegseth as an alleged assailant, but said he was involved in the investigation and that the victim’s name and age were confidential. The statement said that there were no weapons involved, but there were injuries – “contusions to right thigh” – without providing additional details. The city said that it would not release the full police report or comment further on the investigation, citing state public records law.

Describing Trump’s early selections for his administration as “high-caliber and extremely qualified,” Trump’s communications director defended Hegseth in a statement to CNN.

“Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed,” said Trump communications director Steven Cheung. “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.”

Members of Trump’s transition team, including incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, discussed the allegation with Hegseth on Thursday, and he claimed the investigation was related to a consensual sexual encounter, Vanity Fair reported Thursday night, citing two unnamed sources.

Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer representing Hegseth, told Vanity Fair that “this allegation was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.” Parlatore could not immediately be reached for comment by CNN following the release of Monterey’s statement shortly after midnight eastern time.

The city’s statement does not indicate what became of the investigation. Hegseth has not been charged in any criminal case or named as a defendant in any civil lawsuit filed in Monterey County since 2017, a spokesperson for the county court told CNN on Thursday.

Trump named Hegseth as his choice for secretary of defense on Tuesday, surprising both Pentagon officials and the former president’s own allies by picking a nominee without senior military or public office experience. Hegseth serves as a co-host of the “Fox & Friends Weekend” show, previously led several nonprofits and briefly ran to represent Minnesota in the US Senate in 2012.

Hegseth has blasted military leadership for promoting diversity, and railed against women serving in combat. In an interview earlier this year, he said that “women shouldn’t be in combat at all. They’re life-givers, not life-takers.”