A woman told Monterey police that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, took her phone, prevented her from leaving her hotel room and sexually assaulted her, according to a newly released police report.
On Wednesday night, the Monterey Police Department released a 22-page report revealing graphic details of the 2017 assault lawsuit filed against Hegseth, which did not result in any charges. The report reveals two starkly different narratives about what occurred during a sexual encounter in their hotel room while the two attended a Republican women's conference in the city in October 2017.
The woman, referred to as Jane Doe in the report, claimed that she repeatedly told Hegseth “no” during the alleged assault, and that he ejaculated on her stomach and told her to “clean it up,” an incident that, According to her, she left. her with nightmares, according to the report.
Hegseth told police the couple had consensual sex and that he made multiple attempts to make sure she felt comfortable during the encounter, the report said.
His attorney has said he reached a confidential settlement with his sexual assault accuser for an undisclosed sum.
Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing since the allegation was revealed last week, and the Trump transition has continued to publicly support his nomination.
The recently released report raises more questions about what was already preparing to be a controversial confirmation process for Hegseth's nomination to be US defense secretary. Hegseth, 44, is a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been a Fox News host since 2017 and contributor since 2014.
Hegseth was a keynote speaker at the 2017 Republican Women's Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa.
According to the police report, both Doe and Hegseth told officers that the two went with a group to the hotel bar after Hegseth's speech and an after-party hosted in a hotel suite.
Doe told police she informed Hegseth that she felt uncomfortable when he touched her knee at the bar and declined his offer to return to her hotel room. The woman also reported that she observed Hegseth acting inappropriately toward women at the conference, rubbing them on their legs and giving off a “creepy” vibe, according to the report.
The report contains conflicting information about how drunk each of them were. Doe had difficulty remembering some of the night's events and, during a sexual assault examination, later told a nurse that she believed something had been spiked in her drink, according to the report.
Doe recalled trying to leave Hegseth's hotel room and being physically blocked from doing so. She also recalled that Hegseth wore dog tags, ejaculated on her stomach and told her to “clean it up.” And he remembered saying “no” many times, according to the report.
Hegseth recalled a very different sequence of events.
He told police Doe took him to his hotel room, where things progressed between the two of them, according to the report. He told police there was “always” conversation and “always” consensual contact between him and Doe.
Hegseth recalled that Doe showed early signs of remorse after the incident and said she would tell her husband that she fell asleep on a couch in another hotel room, the report said.
Four days after the encounter, on October 12, Doe went to a hospital to request a sexual assault forensic examination and brought with her the clothing she was wearing during the alleged assault.
Doe reported experiencing memory loss and nightmares after the sexual encounter, according to the report. An associate of his also told officers that he had very low energy and would burst into tears out of nowhere after the incident, according to the report.
Hegseth graduated from Princeton University and has a graduate degree from Harvard University. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge for his military service. He left the military after President Biden's election, saying he had been ordered to leave guard duty at the inauguration after top brass called him an extremist and “white nationalist.”
