Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, told reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday that he was “completely cleared” regarding a sexual assault claim against him that is gaining attention.
“Did you sexually assault a woman in Monterey, California?” a reporter asked Hegseth in Washington, D.C., where he met with senators over his nomination.
“I have — 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 president-elect’s pick to lead the Department of Defense responded.
News of the allegations surfaced last week when the city released a brief statement that confirmed a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in 2017 after the Army veteran spoken at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.
On Wednesday, an investigative report was made public that detailed how a woman told law enforcement that Hegseth sexually assaulted her. The woman told police that Hegseth took her phone, blocked the door to a hotel room, and refused to let her leave, according to the report. Hegseth told police it was consensual.
