Trump’s pick to lead Defense Department was accused of sexual assault in 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, a popular Fox News host who is Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense, was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking appearance at a Republican women’s event in Monterey, California, according to a statement released by the city. No charges were filed in the case.

Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press the allegations were “completely false.”

“This was investigated by the police at the time and they found no evidence,” Parlatore said.

Monterey City officials declined to release a police report that documented the accusations and instead issued a brief statement Thursday night in response to press inquiries.

According to that statement, Monterey Police were contacted in October 2017 to investigate a sexual assault that allegedly took place several days earlier at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey and involved Hegseth.

The person who reported the assault — whose name, age and sex were not released — had bruises on the right thigh. 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 following morning, according to the city’s statement.

Hegseth was in town at the time to address the California Federation of Republican Women during a banquet dinner held at the group’s biennial convention, according to social media posts and promotional materials from the time.

The alleged assault was first reported by Vanity Fair on Thursday.

Monterey City officials said they were withholding further details included in the police report because it included analysis and conclusions by law enforcement officials that are exempt from release under state public records law.

At the time of the alleged assault in 2017, Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce with 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 records and social media posts by Hegseth. His first marriage ended in 2009, also after infidelity by Hegseth, according to court records.

In a statement, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump transition, said the president-elect is “nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration.”

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

Hegseth was tapped by Trump this week to serve as secretary of defense. Hegseth has developed a close rapport with Trump, who also reportedly considered him for a post in his first administration. Hegseth has lobbied Trump to release service members accused of war crimes.

A staunch conservative who embraces Trump’s “America First” policies, he has pushed for making the military more lethal. During an interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, he said allowing women to serve in combat hurts that effort.

“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse,” Hegseth said.