Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, testifies before a Senate Committee on Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 14, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Former Fox News weekend co-host Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, reportedly admitted paying a woman $50,000 after she accused him of sexual assault.
In answers provided to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Hegseth revealed how much he paid the woman who accused him of rape at a GOP event in 2017, The Associated Press reported on Thursday.
Timothy Parlatore, Hegseth's attorney, declined to confirm the dollar figure to the AP.
A police report previously obtained by NPR showed that the woman said she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," and Hegseth prevented her from leaving his hotel room.
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Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni told NPR that Hegseth was not prosecuted because "[n]o charges were supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
Hegseth denied the rape claim, telling senators it was an "anonymous smear." His testimony did not take place under oath.
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