So it's turned out that a woman told police she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to 22 pages of graphic investigative reports made public late Wednesday.
The big picture: Hegseth, a former Fox News personality who is President-elect Trump's nominee to be Defense secretary, told police at the time that the encounter was consensual, and he denied any wrongdoing, AP reports.
Driving the news: Investigators were alerted to the alleged assault by a nurse who called them after a patient requested a sexual assault exam, the report says.
- The patient told medical personnel something may have been slipped into her drink.
Hegseth's attorney has said a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential settlement because Hegseth was concerned she was prepared to file a lawsuit that could have resulted in him being fired from Fox News.
- A spokeswoman for the Trump transition said the "report corroborates what Mr. Hegseth's attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false."
So it's clear the Trump transition team said the "report corroborates what Mr. Hegseth's attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false." So watch this! #MAGAhttps://t.co/zzz1zfV088
— Real Angel Espino - Tha Jackal (@TheEspinoReport) December 8, 2024