Pete Hegseth Paid Accuser As Allegation Meant He’d Likely be Fired—Attorney

Pete Hegseth entered into a settlement with the woman who accused him of sexual assault because he knew the allegation could get him fired from Fox News, his attorney has said.
It came out last week that Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, was investigated for sexual assault in California seven years ago. No charges were filed and Hegseth has “vigorously denied any and all accusations,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told Vanity Fair.
It has since been revealed that in 2023, Hegseth entered into a mutual nondisclosure agreement with the accuser, which included him paying her an unknown sum, The Washington Post reported, citing a statement from Hegseth’s lawyer Tim Parlatore.
“Hegseth strongly felt that he was the victim of blackmail,” Parlatore said, so he “ultimately decided to enter into a settlement for a significantly reduced amount” because he knew that the revelation “would result in his immediate termination from Fox.”
“Mr. Hegseth is completely innocent,” Parlatore said on Saturday, “Not only did [the accuser] take advantage of him, but we believe she then extorted him knowing that at the height of the #MeToo movement the mere public allegation would likely result in his immediate termination from Fox News.”
The City of Monterey in California confirmed in a news release on Thursday that it had investigated Hegseth for sexual assault.
It said an incident involving Hegseth was reported to have occurred between 11:59 p.m. on October 7, 2017, and 7 a.m. the following morning at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course. It was reported to police on October 12, 2017.
“The Monterey Police Department investigated an alleged sexual assault at 1 Old Golf Course Road,” the city said in the release. It said the victim’s name was confidential and no weapons were involved, but that there were “contusions to the right thigh.”
This came after Vanity Fair reported earlier on Thursday that Trump’s transition team learned of a sexual misconduct allegation against Hegseth on Wednesday night, citing unnamed sources.
Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and Trump’s lawyers spoke to Hegseth about the situation Thursday, according to the magazine.
Parlatore has insisted the encounter was consensual and told The Washington Post that the accuser is “lying to keep her marriage intact.”
When Newsweek contacted Parlatore via email for comment, we were directed to an earlier statement: “Mr. Hegseth is completely innocent. He was cleared after a police investigation determined that the woman was the aggressor in the situation and was then the subject of blackmail. This entire episode detracts from all the women out there who are true victims.”
News of the allegation follows surprise at Hegseth’s appointment among some Republicans and some in military circles.
Hegseth served with the Minnesota National Guard and conducted three tours of Iraq and Afghanistan as a platoon leader and civil-military operations officer. He later became a Fox News commentator. If his appointment is confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth would replace Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star general.
Hegseth has called for a purge of “woke” military leaders, argued that women should not serve in combat roles and advocated for pardoning service members charged with war crimes.
Update 11/17/24, 11:17 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from Parlatore.