US Police Report Details Sexual Assault Allegations Against Pete Hegseth

A police report has brought to light additional information regarding a purported sexual assault incident in 2017 involving a woman and Pete Hegseth, who has been nominated by US President-elect Donald Trump to become the next defence secretary. The report indicates that the woman stated Hegseth, then a Fox News host, confiscated her phone and obstructed the exit of a hotel room during a Republican conference held in California. Hegseth, a former National Guard officer, has denied any misconduct, asserting that the encounter was consensual. He was not arrested or charged in connection with the incident. The 22-page document contains interviews with the alleged victim, a hotel employee, a nurse, and an individual who witnessed events at the hotel when the incident reportedly occurred. Following the release of the report and the allegations, Trump has maintained his support for his nominee. On Thursday, he issued a statement describing Hegseth as a “highly-respected combat veteran who will honourably serve our country”. Trump’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, commented, “This 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.” Law enforcement officials were initially alerted to the alleged assault by an emergency room nurse. The nurse contacted police after providing care to a woman who reported possibly being drugged and sexually assaulted while consuming drinks with colleagues at a political gathering, according to the Monterey Police Department’s report. Mediaite and other US news outlets obtained this report. The nurse informed police that the woman “believes that something may have been slipped into her drink as she cannot remember most of the night’s events”. The woman, whose name is not disclosed in the report, subsequently identified Hegseth as the man involved. Hegseth, a 44-year-old veteran, is slated to oversee the world’s most formidable military in what would be his inaugural political position, should his confirmation by the US Senate as Trump’s choice for defence secretary proceed. The report states that the woman encountered Hegseth at a Republican conference where he was a featured speaker. She recounted observing Hegseth behaving improperly with other women and confronting him at an after-party held in a hotel suite. She then proceeded to the hotel bar with Hegseth and a group, at which point “things got fuzzy,” she informed police. The woman told police she recalled an argument with Hegseth near the hotel pool. A hotel staff member who intervened in the disturbance corroborated this account to police, the report notes. The woman informed police that she later remembered being with Hegseth in an unidentified hotel room, where she alleged he took her phone and obstructed the door. She told police she recalled “saying ‘no’ a lot,” according to the report. Her subsequent memory was of Hegseth positioned above her while she lay on a couch or bed, she stated to police. Hegseth, according to the report, told police he was “buzzed” on the night of the incident but not intoxicated. He stated he met the woman at the bar and claimed she guided him by his arm to his hotel room. Police recommended that the case be referred to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for further review. Hegseth was never arrested or charged. Timothy Parlatore, Hegseth’s lawyer, previously informed CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that Hegseth compensated the woman to maintain silence to avoid jeopardizing his employment at Fox News. Mr. Parlatore added that this arrangement prevented the woman from pursuing a lawsuit. Hegseth has consistently denied any wrongdoing.