A girl informed police that Pete Hegseth sexually assaulted her in 2017 after he took her telephone, blocked the door of a California lodge room and refused to let her out, in line with an in depth investigative report made public. Wednesday evening (November 20, 2017). 2024).
“Hegseth, a fox information “President-elect Donald Trump’s character and nominee to be Secretary of Protection informed police on the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing,” the report stated.
Information of the allegations emerged final week when native officers launched a quick assertion confirming {that a} lady had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017, after he had spoken at a Republican girls’s occasion in Monterey.
Hegseth’s legal professional didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark early Thursday (Nov. 21, 2024). He has stated Hegseth paid the lady in 2023 to keep away from the specter of a baseless lawsuit.
The 22-page police report was launched in response to a public data request and affords the primary detailed account of what the lady claimed to have occurred, one that’s at odds with Mr. Hegseth’s model of occasions. The report cited police interviews with the alleged sufferer, a nurse who handled her, a lodge worker, one other lady on the occasion and Mr. Hegseth.
The lady’s title was not launched and The Related Press doesn’t usually title individuals who say they’ve been sexually assaulted.
A spokeswoman for the Trump transition stated early Thursday morning (Nov. 21, 2024) that the “report corroborates what Mr. Hegseth’s legal professionals have stated all alongside: The incident was totally investigated and no expenses have been filed as a result of The police discovered the allegations to be false. .”
The report doesn’t say that police found the allegations have been false. Police advisable that the case report be despatched to the Monterey County District Legal professional’s Workplace for overview.
Investigators have been first alerted to the alleged assault, in line with the report, by a nurse who referred to as them after a affected person requested a sexual assault examination. The affected person informed medical employees that she believed she had been assaulted 5 days earlier, however that she didn’t keep in mind a lot of what occurred. She reported that one thing might have been slipped into her drink earlier than ending up within the lodge room the place she stated the assault occurred.
Police collected the dirty gown and underwear she had worn that evening, the report stated.
The lady’s companion, who was staying on the lodge along with her, informed police he was fearful about her that evening after she didn’t return to her room. At 2 within the morning he went to the lodge bar, however she was not there. She returned just a few hours later and apologized as a result of she “should have fallen asleep.” A couple of days later, she informed him that she had been sexually assaulted.
The lady, who helped manage the California Republican Girls’s Federation assembly at which Hegseth spoke, informed police she had seen the tv host performing inappropriately all through the evening and noticed him caressing her thighs. a number of girls. He texted a pal that Mr. Hegseth was giving off a “creepy” vibe, in line with the report.
After the occasion, the lady and others attended an after-party in a lodge suite the place she stated she confronted Mr. Hegseth and informed him she “did not admire how he handled girls,” in line with the report.
A gaggle of individuals, together with Mr. Hegseth and the lady, headed to the lodge bar. That is when “issues acquired complicated,” the lady informed police.
He recalled having a drink on the bar with Mr. Hegseth and others, in line with the police report. He additionally informed police that he argued with Mr. Hegseth close to the lodge pool, an account supported by a lodge worker who was despatched to deal with the disturbance and spoke to police, the report stated.
Quickly, she informed police, she was inside a lodge room with Mr. Hegseth, who took her telephone and blocked the door along with his physique so she could not go away, the report stated. He additionally informed police he remembered “saying ‘no’ many instances,” in line with the report.
Her subsequent reminiscence was mendacity on a sofa or mattress with Mr. Hegseth hovering over her naked chest, his canine tags hanging above her, the report stated. Mr. Hegseth served within the Nationwide Guard and rose to the rank of main.
After Mr. Hegseth completed, she recalled him asking her if she was “okay,” in line with the report. She informed police she didn’t keep in mind how she acquired again to her lodge room and had since suffered nightmares and reminiscence loss.
On the time of the alleged assault in 2017, Hegseth, now 44, was divorcing his second spouse, with whom he has three youngsters. She filed for divorce after he had a toddler with a Fox Information producer who’s now his spouse, in line with court docket data and social media posts by Hegseth. Her first marriage led to 2009, additionally after Mr. Hegseth’s infidelity, in line with court docket data.
Hegseth stated he attended an after-party and drank beer however didn’t devour liquor, and acknowledged that he was “intoxicated” however not drunk.
He stated he met the lady on the lodge bar and she or he led him by the arm again to her room, which shocked him as a result of he initially had no intention of getting intercourse along with her, the report stated.
Hegseth informed investigators that the sexual encounter that adopted was consensual, including that he explicitly requested her greater than as soon as if she was snug. Hegseth stated within the morning that the lady “confirmed early indicators of regret” and guaranteed him she wouldn’t inform anybody in regards to the encounter.
Mr. Hegseth’s lawyer stated a cost was made to the lady as a part of a confidential settlement just a few years after the police investigation as a result of Mr. Hegseth was involved that she was ready to file a lawsuit that, he feared, may have resulted in his dismissal. Fox Information, the place he was a well-liked host. The legal professional didn’t disclose the quantity of the cost.
Revealed – Nov 22, 2024 01:40 am IST
