Fox News’ Pete Hegseth, who was chosen by Donald Trump as defense secretary, paid compensation to the woman who accused him of sexual assault: Lawyer

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, paid a woman He accused her of sexual assault in 2017 An attorney for Hegseth said in a statement Saturday as part of the settlement agreement.

The Fox News star’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, said in a statement that the only reason Hegseth agreed to a settlement in December 2020 was because she feared her career would be harmed if her allegations were made public. Parlatore said Hegseth was the victim of “blackmail” and “false allegations of sexual assault” by an unidentified woman after the Republican women’s convention in California on October 7, 2017.

“Knowing that the MeToo movement had reached its peak and that any public accusations would result in his immediate departure from Fox, Mr. Hegseth ultimately decided to reach a settlement for a significantly reduced amount,” according to the statement.

According to Parlatore’s account, Hegseth met the woman at an after-party event, where she “became visibly intoxicated.” The woman “grabbed him by the arm and took him to her hotel room,” where the two “engaged in consensual sexual intercourse.”

“The complainant was the aggressor who initiated the sexual activity,” Parlatore wrote.

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As ABC News previously reported, the woman filed a police report days later, but no charges were filed. Two years later, according to Parlatore, the woman “began making noise about filing charges against Mr. Hegseth.” Colleagues “alerted us to the threat,” prompting Hegseth and his legal team to send him a cease and desist letter.

Parlatore did not disclose the settlement amount.

According to The Washington Post, Parlatore’s statement, first reported by the newspaper, came after a friend of the alleged victim sent a note to Trump transition officials last week drawing their attention to the incident.

The memo, which ABC News has not obtained or reviewed, reportedly says the woman, identified by the Post as a 30-year-old conservative group staffer at the time, was responsible for ensuring Hegseth returned to her home. in the hotel room at the end of the night.

In a post on X (linked)Trump’s team has said the president-elect stands by Hegseth.

“Mr. Hegseth vehemently denied all allegations and no criminal charges were filed,” said Stephen Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense.”

Trump’s team did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment. The person who sent the memo to the transition team did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.

When Hegseth “persisted in his desire to take them upstairs to his room,” two other women summoned him, according to the note.

After the other two women left, the woman “did not remember anything until she entered Hegseth’s hotel room and struggled to find it.” The next day, she “had a blurry memory of being raped the night before and had a panic attack,” the note said.

The woman later went to the emergency room, where a rape kit examination “tested positive for semen,” the Post reported.

Police are investigating an alleged “sexual assault” that occurred at the Hyatt Regency in the early morning hours of Oct. 8, 2017, Monterey city officials said in a statement. There was no weapon involved in the incident, but the victim allegedly suffered “a contusion on his right thigh.”

The city’s statement did not identify Hegseth as the alleged attacker. The victim’s name and age are listed as “confidential.”

A police report was filed a few days later, on October 12. A spokesperson for the Monterey Superior Court told ABC News on Thursday that there are no records listing Hegseth’s name as a party.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.