Hegseth told senator he paid $50,000 to woman who accused him of 2017 sexual assault

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, paid $50,000 Woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017according to responses he provided to a senator during his confirmation process that The Associated Press obtained.

The written responses were provided to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in response to additional questions she had for Hegseth as part of the vetting process.

His attorney, Timothy Parlatore, declined to comment Thursday on the dollar figure, which was previously unknown. In November, Parlatore confirmed that the settlement payment had been made and Hegseth told senators during his confirmation hearing Last week he was “falsely accused” and completely eliminated.

The news of the payment came as The Senate advanced Hegseth’s nomination According to party lines, with a final vote on his confirmation scheduled for Friday. Democrats — and two Republicans — have raised concerns about Hegseth, who also faced allegations of excessive alcohol consumption And abuse of his second wifewhich he denies.

Two days after Hegseth was grilled by senators during that confirmation hearing, the Trump transition team briefed the two leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee on an additional statement that Hegseth’s second wife, Samantha Hegseth , had provided to the FBI.

In the transition team’s Jan. 16 statement to Mississippi Republican Roger Wicker and Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed, it said Pete Hegseth had and continues to have a problem with abuse of alcohol, a person familiar with the FBI briefing and its findings told The Wheels Associated Press.

Reed called Hegseth’s FBI background check beyond the pale. He said in a statement Thursday that he and Wicker received several FBI briefings on the Secretary of Defense nominee, something he had not seen in more than 25 years on the Armed Services Committee, and that “recent reports about the content of background briefings on Mr. Hegseth are true and accurate. »

Parlatore, Hegseth’s attorney, said Thursday that “Reed was knowingly lying” because what Samantha Hegseth actually told the FBI was that Pete Hegseth drinks most of the time, but she also admitted that she didn’t hadn’t spent time with him in about seven years.

Senators also received an affidavit Tuesday from a former sister-in-law of the Pentagon nominee alleging his repeated drunkenness and that he was abusive with Samantha Hegseth To the point where she feared for her safety. He and his ex-wife have denied it was abusive, and Parlatore called the affidavit a “clear and admitted partisan attempt to derail Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation.”

Meanwhile, the $50,000 payment was made years after the woman told police Hegseth sexually assaulted her In a California hotel room in 2017 after he took her phone, blocked the door and refused to let her leave, according to an investigative report released in November.

Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing.

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

Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said his office declined to file charges in January 2018 because it did not have “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Parlatore said the payment was made in a confidential settlement a few years after the police investigation because Hegseth feared she was prepared to sue and that it could have gotten him fired from Fox News, where he was a popular host.

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AP reporter Eric Tucker contributed from Washington.