Fox News host Trump singles out salaried defense secretary woman who accused him of sexual assault

Pete HegsethElection of President-elect Donald Trump defense secretary, paid money to a woman accused him of sexual assault According to Hegseth’s lawyer, to eliminate the threat of a false lawsuit.

According to a report, Hegseth was accused of sexual assault after speaking at a Republican women’s event in Monterey, California, in 2017. Statement made by the municipality. No charges were filed.

Her attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the sexual intercourse was consensual and that the woman, who made the accusation to police a few days later, was “aggressive.” This claim was not confirmed in the statement made by the municipality.

Parlatore said the woman was paid as part of a secret settlement several years after the police investigation. hegseth She was worried he was ready to file a lawsuit that he feared could get him fired from Fox News, where he was a popular host. Parlatore did not disclose the amount of the payment.

“He was falsely accused and my opinion is that he was the victim of blackmail,” Parlatore said, describing the incident as a case of “successful extortion”.

The Washington Post previously reported details of the payment. The newspaper also reported that it had obtained a copy of a memo detailing allegations of sexual assault that was sent to Trump’s transition team last week by a woman who said she was a friend of his accuser.

Trump’s transition team had no comment on the memo Sunday.

According to the statement made by the municipality, the person who reported the attack (whose name, age and gender were not disclosed) had bruises on his right thigh. The person told police that no weapon was involved in the shooting.

According to the statement made by the municipality, the incident occurred between 23.59 on October 7 and 07.00 the next morning.

Hegseth was in Monterey to address the California Federation of Republican Women during a banquet dinner at the group’s biennial convention, according to social media posts and promotional materials at the time.

Monterey officials said they are keeping further details in the police report confidential because it contains analysis and conclusions from law enforcement officials who are exempt from release under the state public records law.

At the time of the 2017 accusations, Hegseth, now 44, was in the process of divorcing his second wife, with whom he had three children. According to court records and Hegseth’s social media posts, she filed for divorce after having a child with her now-husband, a Fox News producer. Her first marriage also ended in 2009 after Hegseth was infidelity, according to court records.

After the accusations first emerged last week, Trump transition spokesman Steven Cheung said: White House communications director namedreleased a statement saying the president-elect was “nominating highly qualified and highly qualified candidates to serve in his Administration.”

“Mr. Hegseth vehemently denied all accusations and no criminal charges were filed. We look forward to him being confirmed as the United States Secretary of Defense and able to begin Day One of Making America Safe and Great Again,” Cheung said.