Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, was involved in an incident of alleged sexual assault in 2017 at a hotel in Monterey, California, according to local authorities.
The alleged incident occurred in the early hours of Oct. 8, 2017, and involved a victim who suffered bruising on their thigh, police records released by the City of Monterey show. Authorities did not disclose the age or identity of the alleged victim.
Tim Parlatore, Hegseth’s personal lawyer since 2017, told Military.com on Friday that “as confirmed by the Monterey Police Department, there was an allegation that was fully investigated, and he was cleared of any wrongdoing.”
The nomination of Hegseth, a weekend host on Fox News and National Guard veteran, to lead the Pentagon sent shockwaves through Washington and the defense community this week. As the U.S. military shifts focus from combating terrorism to countering China, Hegseth’s selection has raised eyebrows, given his lack of experience within the defense community, but underscored Trump’s appetite for disruption and his key promise to shake up the establishment.
It was still unclear Friday what Hegseth’s priorities as secretary of defense would be, and his nomination must still be confirmed by the Senate — unless Trump attempts to make his own appointments while Congress is in recess, sidestepping the typical vetting by the legislative branch of government. However, the Senate has not been in a true recess in years, specifically to prevent such moves by the executive branch.
Hegseth has long been a culture warrior protesting the military’s so-called “woke” culture in various books and media appearances in recent years. Republicans have used the term to deride what they claim is the creep of liberal policies in the military in recent years. Most often, it refers to the growing number of minorities, women and other marginalized groups in the ranks, and policies that recognize and address them.
Among his criticisms, Hegseth has taken enormous issue with women in combat roles, saying female troops are a detriment to the effectiveness of front-line units. Women have long filled crucial roles in the military, but an exclusion on them serving in direct ground combat was lifted in 2013 by former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the culmination of a long effort at equality in the ranks.
The disclosure of the alleged sexual assault call to police was revealed shortly after Hegseth’s nomination was announced this week. He did not face any formal investigations into his conduct during his National Guard service, according to a spokesperson for the National Guard Bureau.
The National Guard also had not as of Friday disclosed Hegseth’s full military record, to include his duty assignments, which could shed light on his qualifications.
His military background consists of a relatively unremarkable career, and he left the District of Columbia National Guard as a major in 2021 with just under 13 years of service.
Questions specifically about Hegseth’s service in the D.C. National Guard and his role in the Guard’s response to the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, by Trump supporters who falsely believed the presidential election had been stolen continue to go unanswered.
During a Thursday press briefing, reporters pressed Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh about Hegseth’s tenure in the Guard. However, Singh provided little clarity.
“I was not here during that time, and we were going through our own transition as the incoming Biden administration,” she said. “This is really something that the services would handle.”
Hegseth ended his Guard career after being among at least a dozen Guardsmen removed from the Capitol defense mission in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack.
He has claimed he was labeled a security risk due to his Jerusalem cross tattoo. However, Hegseth also sports a “Deus Vult” cross tattoo, a symbol tied to the First Crusade. The phrase and cross have since been co-opted by neo-Nazi and far-right groups, raising further scrutiny of his background.
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