Police report details sexual assault allegation against Trump defense secretary pick

During his first term as president of the United States, Donald Trump had bitter clashes with many of the traditional conservatives in his administration — from former White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly to former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

But President-elect Trump is hoping to avoid such conflicts in his incoming second administration by surrounding himself with loyalists. And one of those loyalists is Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host he has in mind for secretary of defense.

Although Hegseth is a veteran, his critics have been describing him as way too inexperienced for defense secretary — arguing that he hasn't nearly the experience of Gen. Lloyd Austin, outgoing defense secretary under President Joe Biden. Hegseth is also a controversial pick because of a sexual assault allegation again him.

Mediaite has obtained a copy of a police report from Monterey, California detailing that allegation.

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Mediaite reporters Diana Falzone and Aidan McLaughlin explain, "The report, provided by the City of Monterey, California, was previously released to Hegseth in March 2021, per his request. It runs 24 pages and details the allegation leveled by a woman who claimed, in 2017, that she was sexually assaulted by the cable news star at a Republican women’s conference."

The reporters add, however, that Hegseth's attorney, Tim Parlatore, has "vehemently denied" that the alleged sexual assault took place.

"Parlatore said the sex was consensual, and that Hegseth later paid his accuser as part of a nondisclosure agreement in order to protect his reputation," according to Falzone and McLaughlin. "Hegseth was never charged with a crime."

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The Mediaite reporters note that the police report "includes accounts from several police officers who spoke with Hegseth, his accuser — who remains anonymous and was identified throughout the report as Jane Doe — and others present at the conference, which took place in October 2017."

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Read Mediaite's full report at this link.