Hegseth’s ex-sister-in-law tells senators he was ‘abusive’ to second wife

A former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth submitted an affidavit to senators on Tuesday accusing Mr. Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, of being so “abusive” toward his second wife that she once hid in a closet. from him and had a safe word to call for help if she needed to get away from him.

In a Capitol Hill office Tuesday afternoon, senators were reviewing the affidavit of Danielle Diettrich Hegseth, the former wife of Mr. Hegseth’s brother, who described Pete Hegseth’s “erratic and aggressive” behavior that sparked fears to his second wife for her safety. According to a copy obtained by the Times, he also claims he frequently drank excessively in public and private, including on one occasion she witnessed while he was wearing his military uniform.

The allegations, which Mr. Hegseth denied through his lawyer, surfaced as Republicans worked to speed up his confirmation, and could put that push in jeopardy. A handful of Republicans who learned of the accusations in recent days have privately expressed serious concerns about them, according to people familiar with the conversations, suggesting the new information could potentially undermine the support needed for its approval by the Senate.

In her affidavit, reported earlier by NBC News, Danielle Hegseth said she spoke with the FBI about Pete Hegseth and went to Congress in the hopes that her story would persuade enough Republicans to block it. She said she was submitting her account at the request of Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.

“I have been assured that making this public statement will ensure that some senators who are still hesitant will vote against Hegseth’s confirmation,” she wrote.

Mr. Reed said the account describes disqualifying behavior and “confirms my fears” that the FBI’s background check on Mr. Hegseth had been incomplete.