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:
JANE DOE’S next memory was when she was on a bed or a couch and HEGSETH was over her. HEGSETH’S dog tags were hovering over her face. HEGSETH was bare-chested, but JANE DOE does not know if his shirt was completely off. JANE DOE did not notice any tattoos, scars and or marks on HEGSETH’S body. JANE DOE stated she had seen HEGSETH fully nude during this incident.
The next memory JANE DOE had was when HEGSETH ejaculated on her stomach. HEGSETH threw a towel at her and asked her “are you ok?” The woman went to a hospital for a sexual assault exam four days later. Hegseth told police that “there was ‘always’ conversation and ‘always’ consensual contact,” according to the report. Hegseth also told police that the woman “showed early signs of regret” afterward but did not elaborate. After meeting with senators on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Hegseth said that he is looking forward to the confirmation process, telling reporters: “As far as the media is concerned, I’ll keep this very simple. The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m going to leave it.” The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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