Senate briefed on fresh allegations against Hegseth
The former sister-in-law of the Defense secretary nominee provided an affidavit stating that she observed his aggressive behavior while intoxicated, adding that his second wife expressed concerns for her safety.
TroibNews 
In an affidavit submitted to senators on Tuesday, Pete Hegseth's former sister-in-law claimed that the nominee for Pentagon chief made his second wife fearful for her safety. Danielle Hegseth, who was previously married to Hegseth’s brother for eight years, recounted an incident in which Samantha Hegseth, Pete's second wife, hid in a closet due to fears about her husband’s behavior.
The affidavit, requested by Sen. Jack Reed, the leading Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was first reported by NBC News. This disclosure adds to a series of allegations against Hegseth, who has denied any wrongdoing, and is expected to strengthen Democrats' arguments regarding his fitness for the position.
Danielle Hegseth also mentioned instances where Hegseth allegedly yelled at her while intoxicated, frequently consumed alcohol in front of family members, made inappropriate comments about non-consensual sex, and expressed derogatory views about Mexican Americans. She claimed he also stated that women should not have the right to vote or work.
Additionally, she described an incident in which Hegseth was observed drunkenly receiving a lap dance at a strip club while in his military uniform during a National Guard drill in Minneapolis.
Timothy Parlatore, acting as Hegseth’s lawyer, refuted the recent claims. “Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse; she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview,” he stated in an email. He went on to describe Danielle Dietrich, Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, as an “anti-Trump far left Democrat” who has a personal vendetta against the family due to an acrimonious divorce.
Samantha Hegseth addressed the allegations by stating to NBC News that “there was no physical abuse in my marriage," but did not provide further details. She added, "I do not believe your information to be accurate," when questioned about the claims.
In her affidavit, Danielle Hegseth revealed that she spoke with the FBI about her former brother-in-law on two occasions: December 30 and January 18.
Senator Reed commented on the document, highlighting deficiencies in the background investigation process. Only he and Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker received a briefing on the report prior to Hegseth’s confirmation hearing last week. “The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing,” Reed stated. “This behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of Defense.”
It remains uncertain how the new allegations will affect Hegseth’s confirmation chances. Thus far, no Republicans have opposed his nomination, and even if three GOP senators were to reject him, he could still be confirmed.
Hegseth's nomination passed the Senate Armed Services Committee in a partisan vote on Monday night, and a full Senate vote could occur as early as Thursday.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
The affidavit, requested by Sen. Jack Reed, the leading Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was first reported by NBC News. This disclosure adds to a series of allegations against Hegseth, who has denied any wrongdoing, and is expected to strengthen Democrats' arguments regarding his fitness for the position.
Danielle Hegseth also mentioned instances where Hegseth allegedly yelled at her while intoxicated, frequently consumed alcohol in front of family members, made inappropriate comments about non-consensual sex, and expressed derogatory views about Mexican Americans. She claimed he also stated that women should not have the right to vote or work.
Additionally, she described an incident in which Hegseth was observed drunkenly receiving a lap dance at a strip club while in his military uniform during a National Guard drill in Minneapolis.
Timothy Parlatore, acting as Hegseth’s lawyer, refuted the recent claims. “Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse; she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview,” he stated in an email. He went on to describe Danielle Dietrich, Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, as an “anti-Trump far left Democrat” who has a personal vendetta against the family due to an acrimonious divorce.
Samantha Hegseth addressed the allegations by stating to NBC News that “there was no physical abuse in my marriage," but did not provide further details. She added, "I do not believe your information to be accurate," when questioned about the claims.
In her affidavit, Danielle Hegseth revealed that she spoke with the FBI about her former brother-in-law on two occasions: December 30 and January 18.
Senator Reed commented on the document, highlighting deficiencies in the background investigation process. Only he and Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker received a briefing on the report prior to Hegseth’s confirmation hearing last week. “The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing,” Reed stated. “This behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of Defense.”
It remains uncertain how the new allegations will affect Hegseth’s confirmation chances. Thus far, no Republicans have opposed his nomination, and even if three GOP senators were to reject him, he could still be confirmed.
Hegseth's nomination passed the Senate Armed Services Committee in a partisan vote on Monday night, and a full Senate vote could occur as early as Thursday.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
