By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-21 07:14:50 | Updated at 2024-11-21 10:15:04
3 hours ago
The woman who accused Pete Hegseth of sexual assault claims something may have been slipped in her drink before he took her phone and physically blocked her from leaving his room, according to a police report.
Hegseth, a Fox News host and former National Guard officer who was recently nominated by Donald Trump to be secretary of defense, was investigated for the alleged sexual assault in 2017 but no charges were filed.
The report details an allegedly 'very drunk' Hegseth groping multiple woman at a hotel following a convention.
The city of Monterey, California released the police report regarding the alleged assault in the early morning hours of October 8, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa.
The alleged victim, then 30 years old, who asked to be referred to as Jane Doe, was having champagne with co-workers while on a business trip when things got 'fuzzy' and she suddenly ended up in a room with Hegseth.
Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer representing Hegseth, has admitted his client paid the woman for her silence because he did not want to lose his job.
A police officer who interviewed Jane Doe said that she confronted Hegseth, a speaker at the California Federation of Republican Women conference, saying she did not like the way he treats women and said he gave off a 'creeper' vibe.
'Hegseth would rub the women on their legs and Jane Doe thought the actions were inappropriate' but said that many of the other women found the Fox anchor 'dreamy' and were asking him for pictures.
The woman who accused Pete Hegseth of sexual assault believed something may have been slipped in her drink, as the police report of the alleged incident has been released
The city of Monterey, California has released the police report from the alleged rape in the early morning hours of October 8, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa
Two different women later told police that Hegseth had put his hand on their legs.
The report claims her memory from the night is hazy but she believed something had been slipped into her drink.
Eventually, she ended up at a local sports bar and said 'that's when things got fuzzy.'
She says that she does remember going to a co-worker's hotel room with Hegseth, whom she recognized by the dog tag he was wearing.
They eventually began arguing by the hotel pool, where Hegseth told her that he was a nice guy.
She doesn't remember anything until she recalled herself in an unknown room where she 'did not know where she was and how she got to the room.'
The woman also claims that she said 'no' several times to Hegseth, who took her phone and physically blocked the door.
The responding officer said that Hegseth told her to 'clean it up.'
'She told investigators Hegseth threw a towel at her and asked her 'are you ok?' and 'clean it up.'
A police officer who interviewed Jane Doe said that she confronted Hegseth (seen here with wife Jennifer), a speaker at the California Federation of Republican Women conference, saying she did not like the way he treats women and said he gave off a 'creeper' vibe
Hegseth was a speaker (pictured) at the California Federation of Republican Women conference at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa the day of the alleged rape.
The alleged victim does not recall if she was penetrated but does believe she was sexually assaulted.
'Doe does not remember what happened after that other than she ended up back in her hotel room,' the report continues.
She also did not recall any tattoos, scars or marks on Hegseth's body. The defense secretary nominee's tattoos have become a matter of controversy since he was put up for the job.
The next day, the alleged victim had sex with someone else, which she says 'triggered her memory of the incident with Hegseth.'
On October 12, she visited a medical examiner requested a rape kit.
Authorities also talked to an employee who was working the front desk that late night/early morning of the alleged incident.
He claimed to have gotten several complaints about two people making a scene by the pool.
The worker encountered Hegseth and Jane Doe. Hegseth 'began to curse' at the staffer and cited 'freedom of speech.'
The alleged victim also did not recall any tattoos, scars or marks on Hegseth's body. The defense secretary nominee's tattoos have become a matter of controversy since he was put up for the job
Jane Doe apologized to the staffer for Hegseth, the worker claims, before leading a 'very' drunk Hegseth away. She describe Jane Doe as 'standing on her own and was very coherent.'
Surveillance video also showed Jane Doe and Hegseth walking together with their arms locked, with Hegseth talking and Jane Doe smiling.
Local police eventually spoke to Hegseth on October 26.
He said that he had been drinking but wasn't intoxicated and took Jane Doe back to his hotel room for what he said was a consensual encounter.
'They both would stop and say 'we shouldn't do this' but things consensually continued,' the report said.
Hegseth also said that he ejaculated on the woman's stomach.
The file was requested by Hegseth in 2021 and a quirk in Monterey's laws allow it to be made public, USA Today reported.
Parlatore told Mediaite in a statement: 'This police report confirms what I have said all along that the incident was fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false, which is why no charges were filed.'
Pete Herseth and Jennifer Rauchet's wedding at Trump's National Gold Club in New Jersey
Pete Hegseth (left) is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan; he's a co-host of 'Fox & Friends Weekends' with Ainsely Earnhardt and Brian Kilmeade
He has said Hegseth paid her an undisclosed amount because he feared the allegation getting out 'would result in his immediate termination from Fox'.
Parlatore said Hegseth was drunk and claimed the woman was 'the aggressor in the encounter', which police did not agree with.
A complaint from an unnamed woman with extensive knowledge of the alleged rape sent to Trump's staff explained the story police were told at the time.
Incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles was briefed Wednesday night about the allegation, Vanity Fair reported.
Wiles and Trump's lawyers spoke to Hegseth about it on Thursday. Hegseth told them the allegation stemmed from a consensual encounter and called it a 'he-said, she-said' situation, a source told Vanity Fair.
Trump is standing by his nominee, his staff said.
'Mr Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed,' Trump communications director Steven Cheung said.
'We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.'
Pete Hegseth with Donald Trump in the Oval Office from when Trump was president
Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer Hegseth
Hegseth's nomination to lead the Pentagon is controversial.
He is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan with a handful of military medals, including two Bronze Stars.
But many have questioned whether the 44-year-old co-host of 'Fox & Friends Weekends' can handle managing the Defense Department, which has a budget of $842 billion, almost three million employees and 750 military installations around the world.
He also has a history of controversial statements and once called liberals 'domestic enemies.'
And he has said women should not be in combat for the US military, a point he has made repeatedly including last week in an interview with 'The Shawn Ryan Show' podcast.
'I'm straight up just saying, we should not have women in combat roles,' Hegseth said on that podcast. 'It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.'
His support for combat veterans accused of war crimes also has drawn criticism.
Many have questioned whether he can win Senate confirmation because of his lack of experience.
Hegseth's nomination to lead the Pentagon is controversial. He is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan with a handful of military medals, including two Bronze Stars. But many have questioned whether the 44-year-old co-host of 'Fox & Friends Weekends' can handle managing the Defense Department
Since 2019, Hegseth has been married to his third wife, Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet. The two were married at Trump's National Gold Club in Colts Neck, New Jersey.
'They will have a fantastic life together,' Trump wrote on Twitter of the marriage.
Hegseth and his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, divorced in 2009 amid allegations he cheated.
A year later, Hegseth married Samantha Deering. In 2014, four years into their marriage, Hegseth started working at Fox News.
There he got involved with Jennifer Rauchet, a producer at the network. Rauchet was also married at the beginning of her relationship with Hegseth.
In 2017 the situation became public knowledge. Hegseth was already a father of three kids with Deering, and, in August 2017, he and Rauchet had a daughter together.
Hegseth and Deering divorced in August 2017, the same month his child was born with Rauchet. The alleged assault in California took place in October of that year.
One Hegseth ally blamed the surfacing of the allegation on GOP establishment members who are trying to thwart Hegseth's nomination.
'They'll try to kill all these nominations before the confirmation vote,' the ally said told Vanity Fair.
