The attorney for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be defense secretary, has threatened the woman who accused Hegseth of sexual assault with an extortion lawsuit if he’s not confirmed for the top Pentagon spot.
Tim Parlatore argued on CNN that the woman may not be guilty of extortion in the criminal sense, but that she could be taken to court for civil extortion if a lawsuit was filed.
“It was something we were considering ,” Parlatore told the network, referring to a time when the accuser was set to file a lawsuit in 2020 before she was paid to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
“Quite frankly, with the violation of the [nondisclosure] agreement, if he is not confirmed as secretary of defense, we may still bring a civil extortion claim against her,” the lawyer added.
The woman filed a police report alleging that Hegseth sexually assaulted her during a Republican women’s conference in Monterey, California in 2017, where he was the keynote speaker.
Hegseth has insisted the encounter was consensual. Parlatore described his client as “visibly intoxicated“ when the two met after his talk.
Charges were never filed in the case even as the woman believed that she had possibly been drugged and raped. Hegseth paid a nondisclosure settlement with her afterward.
Parlatore said on CNN that the woman’s inaccurate claim was shared in “violation” of the agreement.
He added that if it “causes him to lose his future employment opportunities, then yes, that is something that is worth bringing a lawsuit against.”
The woman could not be reached to comment on Parlatore’s threat.
Parlatore also noted that the nondisclosure agreement has “been breached” and is no longer valid.
Hegseth has faced a number of allegations since leaving his post as a Fox & Friends weekend host to become Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon. They include accusations of excessive drinking at work, including at Fox News, and while helming two different veterans groups. The New Yorker also reported allegations of financial mismanagement, apparent alcohol abuse, and inappropriate sexual behavior during that time.
His mother, Penelope Hegseth, penned an email to her son in 2018 accusing him of mistreating women. She has since defended her son, including in an appearance on Fox.
Hegseth has said that he doesn’t intend to withdraw his name from consideration, and Trump has repeatedly backed his pick, urging him to carry on even amid reports that the president-elect is considering replacing him.
Hegseth has been on Capitol Hill this week attempting to drum up support from Republican senators, some of whom remain skeptical.
