President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been embroiled in controversy after allegations of sexual assault surfaced. According to his lawyer, a woman accused Hegseth of sexual assault in 2017 following a speaking engagement at a Republican women's event in Monterey, California. The city released a statement confirming the accusation but noted that no charges were filed.
Hegseth's lawyer maintains that the encounter was consensual and alleges that the woman was the aggressor. A confidential settlement was reached a few years later, with Hegseth making a payment to the woman to prevent a baseless lawsuit. The lawyer claims that Hegseth believed the threat of a lawsuit could have jeopardized his position at Fox News, where he was a popular host at the time.
