Pete Hegseth, president-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense, paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault to avoid the threat of an unfounded lawsuit, according to Hegseth’s lawyer.
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Hegseth was accused of sexual assault following an appearance at a Republican women's event in Monterey, California, according to a statement issued by the city. No charges were filed.
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His lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the sexual encounter was consensual and that the woman who made the accusation days later was the "aggressor." That claim has not been confirmed in the statement released by the city authorities.
Parlatore added that a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential agreement a few years after the police investigation because Hegseth believed that filing a lawsuit could have led to his dismissal from Fox News, where he was a popular host at the time. Parlatore did not disclose the amount of the payment.
"He was falsely accused and my position is that he was a victim of blackmail," said Parlatore, describing it as a case of "successful extortion."
The Washington Post previously published details of the payment. The newspaper also reported that it obtained a copy of a memorandum sent to Trump's transition team last week by a woman who claimed to be a friend of the accuser detailing the allegations of sexual assault.
The Trump transition team did not offer comments on the memo on Sunday.
The person who reported the assault - whose name, age, and gender were not disclosed - had bruises on their right thigh, according to the city's statement. The person told the police that no weapons were involved in the encounter.
The incident occurred sometime between 11:59 pm on October 7th and 7:00 am the following day, according to the statement.
Hegseth was in Monterey at that time to address the California Federation of Republican Women during a banquet dinner held at the group's biennial convention, according to social media posts and promotional materials from the time.
Monterey authorities said they were withholding further details included in the police report because it contained analysis and conclusions from law enforcement officials that are exempt from disclosure under the state public records law.
At the time of the 2017 allegations, Hegseth, now 44 years old, was going through a divorce with 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, according to court records and Hegseth's social media posts. His first marriage ended in 2009, also following infidelity on Hegseth's part, according to court records.
After the accusations first arose last week, Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's transition team who has been appointed as White House Communications Director, issued a statement saying that the President-elect is "nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his government."
"Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied each and every one of the accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as Secretary of Defense of the United States so that he can start from day one to make America safe and great again," said Cheung.