A woman told police in California in 2017 that she had been sexually assaulted in a hotel room by Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, according to a police report obtained by NBC News.
The 24-page report from the Monterey Police Department includes graphic details, as well as differing narratives from the woman — identified only as “Jane Doe” — and Hegseth about the encounter. Monterey police had initially released a one-page statement last week confirming that it had investigated a sexual assault allegation against Hegseth in October 2017.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has denied wrongdoing and was not charged with a crime.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has denied wrongdoing and was not charged with a crime. Last weekend, his attorney told NBC News that Hegseth paid the woman an undisclosed sum “as part of a civil confidential settlement agreement and maintains his innocence.”
The attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told NBC News on Thursday: “This police report confirms what I’ve said all along. The incident was fully investigated and police found the allegation to be false, which is why no charges were filed.”
According to the report, which does not specify why charges were not filed, the incident is alleged to have taken place after Hegseth and the woman attended a Republican women’s event. A nurse later told police that the woman thought that “something may have been slipped into her drink, as she cannot remember most of the night’s events.”
But the woman told police that she did recall being in a room with Hegseth, who she said took her phone away and blocked the door when she tried to leave. She also recalled “saying ‘no’ a lot.”
According to the report:








