Trump’s defense secretary nominee paid accuser but denies sexual assault, attorney says

By Kaanita Iyer, Zachary Cohen and Kaitlan Collins, CNN

(CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault in a settlement agreement that included a confidentiality clause, according to Hegseth’s attorney.

Attorney Timothy Parlatore said Hegseth denies assaulting the woman and has characterized the October 2017 incident in Monterey, California as a “consensual sexual encounter.”

Monterey city officials last week confirmed that local police had investigated “an alleged sexual assault” involving Hegseth. The city declined to release information about the victim and said it would not release the full police report or comment further on the investigation, citing state public records law.

Hegseth has not been charged in any criminal case or named as a defendant in any civil lawsuit in connection with the incident.

In 2020, Hegseth learned the woman was considering filing a lawsuit, Parlatore said in statement provided to CNN.

Parlatore said the payment to the married woman was of “a significantly reduced amount” and that Hegseth, a veteran turned Fox News host, settled because it was during the “Me Too” movement and he didn’t want to lose his job at the network if the accusation became public. The attorney’s statement did not say how much Hegseth’s accuser was paid in the settlement.

Parlatore said Hegseth felt that he was the victim of blackmail.

CNN spoke briefly with the alleged victim on Thursday. She became visibly distraught at the mention of Hegseth’s name but declined to be interviewed without first contacting her attorney. She said she did not know what she was authorized to say.

The woman, whom CNN is not naming because she is an alleged victim of sexual assault, did not respond to subsequent requests to be interviewed. The settlement and confidentiality clause were first reported by the Washington Post Saturday evening.

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 by the woman four days later, according to the city’s statement. Hegseth was a speaker at a conference held by the California Federation of Republican Women at a hotel during the timeframe when the alleged assault took place.

The statement from Monterey City added that there were no weapons involved, but there were injuries – “contusions to right thigh” – without providing additional details.

Trump selected Hegseth last week as his defense secretary nominee despite him having no senior military or public office experience, which surprised both Pentagon officials and the former president’s own allies. Trump’s announcement was swiftly followed by news of the alleged sexual assault, catching the president-elect’s transition team off guard, CNN reported Friday.

Trump’s communications director defended Hegseth in an earlier statement to CNN, saying he “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,” Steven Cheung said.

CNN’s Kyung Lah and Scott Glover contributed to this report.