President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault as part of a nondisclosure agreement, but insists the encounter was consensual, his attorney told The Washington Post in a statement Saturday.
Hegseth's attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told the Post that the Fox host was "visibly intoxicated" at the time of the 2017 incident, and paid an undisclosed amount to the woman because he feared the matter "would result in his immediate termination" from the network.
Trump's transition team was reportedly caught off-guard by the sexual assault allegation against the president-elect's pick for defense secretary — and is bracing for more potential surprises involving Hegseth.
"There's a lot of frustration around this," a person familiar with the matter told the Post. "He hadn't been properly vetted."
Several members of Trump's transition team have raised questions about the viability of Hegseth's nomination in light of the newly surfaced accusation, CNN reported Friday, citing two people close to the situation.
Senior officials on the team were also weighing Hegseth's future and fearing that more negative revelations could emerge, the Post said.
But Trump has been standing by Hegseth, a spokesperson said.
"Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed," Trump spokesperson Stephen Cheung said before the Post's latest revelation about Hegseth's payment. "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."
Hegseth's lawyer insisted that the allegation was "fully investigated and found not to be true," and that "there's no other skeletons to come out."
There's "no reason to withdraw that I'm aware of," Parlatore said.
The allegation against Hegseth, 44, was first reported Thursday by Vanity Fair, which said incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was briefed about it on Wednesday night, hours after Trump announced Hegseth's selection.
Hegseth was reportedly investigated by police in Monterey, California, after an unidentified woman accused him of sexually assaulting her early on Oct. 8, 2017, at the the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa, where Hegseth spoke at a convention of the National Federation of Republican Women.
The woman, who went to the police four days later, had a bruise on her right thigh, the Post said, citing the complaint she filed.
Monterey police confirmed the investigation and said it didn't lead to criminal charges, the newspaper reported.
In addition to the sexual assault allegation, reports Friday said that Hegseth, a former major in the Army National Guard, was flagged by fellow service members as a possible "Insider Threat" in 2021 due to a tattoo that's associated with white supremacist groups.
The tattoo on his inner right bicep says "Deus Vult," a Latin phrase meaning "God Wills It."
Hegseth has said that he was prevented from serving during President Joe Biden's inauguration because of Jerusalem Cross tattoo on his chest and that he quit the military as a result, according to the Associated Press.
Hegseth resigned as a co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend" after Trump nominated him to oversee the Pentagon, its 1.3 million service members, 950,000-plus civilian employees and proposed $850 billion budget for fiscal 2025.
