Police document discloses assault accusations against Hegseth
Hegseth, who has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the position of defense secretary, informed the police during the incident that the encounter was consensual.
TroibNews 
SANTA CRUZ, California — A woman reported to police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth, who allegedly took her phone, blocked the door to a hotel room in California, and refused to let her leave, as detailed in a recently released investigative report.
Hegseth, a personality on Fox News and the nominee for defense secretary under President-elect Donald Trump, claimed the encounter was consensual and denied any misconduct at the time, according to the report.
The allegations came to light last week when local officials issued a statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017, following his speech at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.
As of early Thursday, Hegseth’s attorney had not responded to requests for comment. In 2023, Hegseth reportedly paid the woman to mitigate the risk of a baseless lawsuit.
The 22-page police report, made available through a public records request, provides the first comprehensive account of the woman’s allegations, which contradict Hegseth’s narrative. The report includes interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who provided treatment, a hotel staff member, another attendee at the event, and Hegseth himself.
The woman’s identity remains confidential, as The Associated Press generally does not disclose the names of individuals alleging sexual assault.
A spokesperson for the Trump transition stated Thursday that the “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.”
However, the report does not indicate that police determined the allegations were false; they recommended that the case be forwarded to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for further review.
According to the report, a nurse alerted police after a patient requested a sexual assault examination. The patient claimed she believed she was assaulted five days prior but had difficulty recalling the specifics. She mentioned that she suspected something had been slipped into her drink before ending up in Hegseth’s hotel room, where she stated the assault occurred.
Authorities collected the dress and underwear she had worn that night, which were not washed.
The woman’s partner, who was accompanying her at the hotel, expressed concern when she did not return to their room that night. At around 2 a.m., he checked the hotel bar but did not find her. She returned several hours later, apologizing and stating that she “must have fallen asleep.” Days later, she confided in him that she had been sexually assaulted.
The woman, who was involved in organizing the California Federation of Republican Women event, recounted witnessing Hegseth behaving inappropriately throughout the night, including stroking the thighs of multiple women. She texted a friend expressing her discomfort, noting that Hegseth was giving off a “creeper” vibe, as outlined in the report.
After the event, she and others went to an after-party in a hotel suite, where she confronted Hegseth about his treatment of women, according to the report.
The group later moved to the hotel bar, and the woman mentioned that “things got fuzzy” from there. She recalled having a drink at the bar with Hegseth and others and had a disagreement with Hegseth near the hotel pool, an incident corroborated by hotel staff who responded to the disturbance, as per the report.
At one point, she found herself in a hotel room with Hegseth, where he allegedly took her phone and blocked the door, preventing her from leaving, as stated in the report. She asserted that she remembered “saying ‘no’ a lot.”
Her next recollection was of lying on a couch or bed with Hegseth, who was bare-chested, his dog tags hanging down toward her, according to the report.
Afterward, she recounted Hegseth asking if she was “OK,” but she did not remember how she got back to her own hotel room and has since experienced nightmares and memory loss.
At the time of the alleged incident in 2017, Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce from his second wife, with whom he has three children. She filed for divorce after he had a child with a Fox News producer who is now his wife, as indicated by social media posts and court records. Hegseth’s first marriage ended in 2009, also due to his infidelity, according to court documents.
Hegseth stated that he attended an after-party and consumed beer but did not drink liquor, acknowledging that he felt “buzzed” but not drunk.
He claimed he met the woman at the hotel bar and was surprised when she led him back to his hotel room since he originally had no intention of engaging in sexual activity with her, as reported.
Hegseth described the subsequent sexual encounter as consensual, stating he asked multiple times if she was comfortable. He noted that the woman “showed early signs of regret” the following morning, and he reassured her he would keep the encounter private.
Hegseth’s attorney mentioned that a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential settlement a few years after the police investigation, as Hegseth was concerned about a potential lawsuit that could jeopardize his job at Fox News, where he was a well-known host. The attorney did not disclose the settlement amount.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
Hegseth, a personality on Fox News and the nominee for defense secretary under President-elect Donald Trump, claimed the encounter was consensual and denied any misconduct at the time, according to the report.
The allegations came to light last week when local officials issued a statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017, following his speech at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.
As of early Thursday, Hegseth’s attorney had not responded to requests for comment. In 2023, Hegseth reportedly paid the woman to mitigate the risk of a baseless lawsuit.
The 22-page police report, made available through a public records request, provides the first comprehensive account of the woman’s allegations, which contradict Hegseth’s narrative. The report includes interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who provided treatment, a hotel staff member, another attendee at the event, and Hegseth himself.
The woman’s identity remains confidential, as The Associated Press generally does not disclose the names of individuals alleging sexual assault.
A spokesperson for the Trump transition stated Thursday that the “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.”
However, the report does not indicate that police determined the allegations were false; they recommended that the case be forwarded to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for further review.
According to the report, a nurse alerted police after a patient requested a sexual assault examination. The patient claimed she believed she was assaulted five days prior but had difficulty recalling the specifics. She mentioned that she suspected something had been slipped into her drink before ending up in Hegseth’s hotel room, where she stated the assault occurred.
Authorities collected the dress and underwear she had worn that night, which were not washed.
The woman’s partner, who was accompanying her at the hotel, expressed concern when she did not return to their room that night. At around 2 a.m., he checked the hotel bar but did not find her. She returned several hours later, apologizing and stating that she “must have fallen asleep.” Days later, she confided in him that she had been sexually assaulted.
The woman, who was involved in organizing the California Federation of Republican Women event, recounted witnessing Hegseth behaving inappropriately throughout the night, including stroking the thighs of multiple women. She texted a friend expressing her discomfort, noting that Hegseth was giving off a “creeper” vibe, as outlined in the report.
After the event, she and others went to an after-party in a hotel suite, where she confronted Hegseth about his treatment of women, according to the report.
The group later moved to the hotel bar, and the woman mentioned that “things got fuzzy” from there. She recalled having a drink at the bar with Hegseth and others and had a disagreement with Hegseth near the hotel pool, an incident corroborated by hotel staff who responded to the disturbance, as per the report.
At one point, she found herself in a hotel room with Hegseth, where he allegedly took her phone and blocked the door, preventing her from leaving, as stated in the report. She asserted that she remembered “saying ‘no’ a lot.”
Her next recollection was of lying on a couch or bed with Hegseth, who was bare-chested, his dog tags hanging down toward her, according to the report.
Afterward, she recounted Hegseth asking if she was “OK,” but she did not remember how she got back to her own hotel room and has since experienced nightmares and memory loss.
At the time of the alleged incident in 2017, Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce from his second wife, with whom he has three children. She filed for divorce after he had a child with a Fox News producer who is now his wife, as indicated by social media posts and court records. Hegseth’s first marriage ended in 2009, also due to his infidelity, according to court documents.
Hegseth stated that he attended an after-party and consumed beer but did not drink liquor, acknowledging that he felt “buzzed” but not drunk.
He claimed he met the woman at the hotel bar and was surprised when she led him back to his hotel room since he originally had no intention of engaging in sexual activity with her, as reported.
Hegseth described the subsequent sexual encounter as consensual, stating he asked multiple times if she was comfortable. He noted that the woman “showed early signs of regret” the following morning, and he reassured her he would keep the encounter private.
Hegseth’s attorney mentioned that a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential settlement a few years after the police investigation, as Hegseth was concerned about a potential lawsuit that could jeopardize his job at Fox News, where he was a well-known host. The attorney did not disclose the settlement amount.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
