A woman from California has accused defence secretary nominee Pete Hegseth of sexually abusing her in his hotel room in 2017, alleging that he confiscated her phone and prevented her from leaving, as detailed in a recently released police report.
The woman informed the police that President-elect Trump’s nominee to head the Pentagon prevented her from exiting the room before assaulting her during a drunken incident at a Republican gathering in Monterey.
The purported victim stated her belief that she was drugged and recalled frequently expressing refusal, as documented in the 22-page report released late Wednesday night following a public information request.
Pete Hegseth, a weekend personality on Fox News and a decorated warrior, visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to advocate for his contentious nomination to the senators.
He refuted the allegations and informed the police that the interaction was consensual. He acknowledges remitting an unspecified sum to the woman last year to avert a lawsuit.
The police report offers the first detailed account of the allegations against Pete Hegseth, who faces what could be a tricky confirmation battle in the Republican-held Senate.
The name of the accuser, an organizer of the California Federation of Republican Women’s event, has not been released.
The Trump transition team Thursday claimed the report backs up Pete Hegseth’s account of the troubling incident.
“The incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed,” a Trump spokesperson said.
Police recommended the case be forwarded to prosecutors for review. It’s unclear why they didn’t proceed.
The alleged victim, who reported the incident a few days after the alleged attack, told police that Pete Hegseth had been acting inappropriately throughout the night and that she saw him feeling up women’s thighs. She texted a friend that Pete Hegseth was giving her “creeper” vibes, according to the report.
She argued with Pete Hegseth by the hotel pool, an account that is supported by a hotel staffer, according to the report.
After feeling hazy, the woman said she wound up inside Pete Hegseth’s hotel room. She told police that he took her phone and blocked the door with his body so that she could not leave before raping her, according to the report
Pete Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce at the time of the alleged attack. He acknowledged being “buzzed” but not drunk when he met the woman, whom he told police willingly went with him to his room for sex.
He said the woman “showed early signs of regret” the morning after the encounter, the report says.
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