Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary

A woman told police that Pete Hegseth sexually assaulted her in 2017 after he took her phone, locked the door to a California hotel room and wouldn’t let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday evening. .

The report shows that Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, told police at the time that the meeting was consensual and denied any impropriety.

News of the allegations broke last week when local officials released a brief statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017 after he spoke at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.

“The matter was thoroughly investigated and fully explained to me,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday on Capitol Hill, where he was meeting with senators to gain support for his nomination.

The report does not indicate that the police found the allegations false. Police recommended that the case report be sent to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.