Host Pete Hegseth throughout “FOX & Associates” at Fox Information Channel Studios on Could 27, 2022 in New York Metropolis.
Roy Rochlin | Getty Photographs
Former Fox Information host Pete Hegseth’s legal professional on Sunday confirmed to NBC Information that Hegseth, whom President-elect Donald Trump has named as his candidate for protection secretary, paid a girl an undisclosed quantity after she accused him of sexual assault.
“In 2023, Hegseth paid the complainant as a part of a civil confidential settlement settlement and maintains his innocence,” Timothy Parlatore, Hegseth’s legal professional, stated in a press release.
He additionally denied that the encounter between Hegseth and an unnamed girl, which she alleges occurred in 2017, was sexual assault.
Parlatore’s assertion comes after The Washington Put up on Saturday reported {that a} good friend of Hegseth’s accuser despatched a memo to the Trump transition staff detailing the allegations.
NBC Information has not independently reviewed the memo, however Parlatore confirmed that it’s associated to an encounter Hegseth and the unnamed girl had in Monterey, California, throughout a convention of the California Federation of Republican Ladies.
The Put up reported that the memo stated the lady was on the convention along with her husband and her kids and “did not bear in mind something till she was in Hegseth’s resort room after which stumbling to search out her resort room” on the night time in query.
Parlatore denied the allegation, saying, “This can be a state of affairs the place a consensual encounter occurred and, sadly, the lady needed to provide you with a lie to clarify why the lady had not come again to her husband’s room that night time.”
“It wasn’t reported till days later till there was strain from her husband. It was absolutely investigated by police and video surveillance in addition to a number of eyewitness statements present that she was the aggressor,” he added.
Authorities in Monterey investigated the allegation in 2017 and didn’t file prices towards Hegseth.
Parlatore additionally known as his consumer “fully harmless” and accused the lady of “attempting to squeeze Mr. Hegseth for cash.”
Earlier than Hegseth formally turns into protection secretary, he’ll must win over a majority of the Senate in a affirmation vote.
On Sunday, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., advised NBC Information’ “Meet the Press” that “I feel he is a superb choose.”
Nonetheless, he added that the Senate must deliberate and evaluation Hegseth’s report forward of a vote.
“However as soon as once more, as allegations come out, we’ll work out if, because the Senate strikes ahead with the recommendation and consent to the president of the USA and doing our constitutional duties, we’ll work out if he can get confirmed or not. And I do assume that Pete’s a superb choose for this place,” Mullin stated.
