Trump defense secretary nominee denies sexual assault allegation, confirms paying accuser: Lawyer

An attorney for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, denied a sexual assault allegation but confirmed he paid a woman to settle the claim.

“In 2023, Hegseth paid the complainant as part of a civil confidential settlement agreement and maintains his innocence,” said Timothy Parlatore, Hegseth’s attorney, in a statement, according to NBC News.

The incident allegedly occurred in Monterey, California in 2017 during a California Federation of Republican Women conference. 

According to the Washington Post, the woman attended the conference with her husband and her children and "didn’t remember anything until she was in Hegseth’s hotel room and then stumbling to find her hotel room."

His attorney said it was a "consensual encounter" and the woman came up with a lie to explain why she didn't "come back to her husband’s room that night."

“It wasn’t reported until days later until there was pressure from her husband. It was fully investigated by police and video surveillance as well as multiple eyewitness statements show that she was the aggressor,” he said.

Charges were not filed against Hegseth.