Sexual assault allegations against Trump’s defense selection revealed

Good morning and welcome aboard. Essential California newsletter. His Sunday. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start the weekend:

Police report details late-night drinking followed by alleged sexual assault

A nurse at Kaiser Permanente He called the Monterey Police Department to report it. He said a patient came in for a sexual assault exam in the afternoon of October 2017.

The nurse told police that the woman had been sexually assaulted four days earlier at a Republican women’s conference held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa in the coastal California resort town.

The alleged attacker was a popular Fox News host and keynote speaker at the conference.

The nurse referred the woman to the emergency room for a sexual assault forensic examination. That call triggered a law enforcement investigation that included interviews with hotel staff, a review of surveillance video, interviews with several of the woman’s co-workers and a conversation with the alleged perpetrator, Pete Hegseth, who told police the encounter was consensual.

No charges were filed. Monterey County District Attorney. Jeannine M. Pacioni said neither charge was supported by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. The two sides eventually reached a private agreement and then signed an incriminating confidentiality agreement.

The story seemed to end there; until Donald Trump nominated Hegseth as secretary of defense. Now that night in Monterey has become the center of one of the most contentious confirmation fights in years.

What do we know?

my colleagues Hannah Fry, Jessica Garrison And Richard Winton I read through the police report, which offered some perspective on what happened that evening at the California Republican Women’s Federation conference in Monterey.

Shortly after Hegseth’s nomination, a friend of the woman wrote a note He told Trump’s transition team that Hegseth raped the then-30-year-old conservative group staffer in her hotel room in the early morning hours.

In response, Hegseth confirmed the financial settlement through his lawyer, saying he agreed to pay the woman to keep her job at Fox. However, he vehemently denied the attack.

“The matter has been fully investigated and I have been fully cleared, and I will leave it at that,” Hegseth told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday.

Details of the police report led to the incident

The Monterey Police Department released a 22-page redacted report detailing the investigation, describing the memories of Jane Doe and the woman referred to as Hegseth, as well as several other participants. Although police reports are not generally available to the public in California, the document was released because Hegseth had previously requested a copy.

The police report provides the most complete picture yet of what happened Oct. 7 and 8 at the Monterey hotel.

On the second day of the three-day meeting, Doe took a break from his hotel room with his wife and at least one young child before the banquet dinner and keynote speech began at 6 p.m., according to the text message. and sources with knowledge of the incident.

After the banquet, the woman went to an after-party where another federation member drank a glass of champagne in his hotel suite. Hegseth was also there. A federation member who was present later told police that the woman “did not appear drunk, but was excited at the event.”

Around midnight, Doe, Hegseth and a second woman walked toward Knuckles, the hotel sports bar. Doe texted her husband an update, saying she was going to the bar with a group of ladies. “Oh my god I have so much to tell you. This Pete guy is such a…soooo,” she wrote.

Doe told police his memory began to blur while he was at the bar.

Around 1:30 a.m., Doe argued with Hegseth near the hotel pool about his behavior toward women at the conference. He responded that he was a “good guy,” according to the report. She later told investigators that Hegseth was rubbing against the women’s legs and that she thought his actions were inappropriate.

A hotel employee told police that Doe put his hand and arm on Hegseth’s back and escorted him into the building where his room was located.

She told investigators that Doe’s husband went to look for her at Knuckles around 2 a.m., but no one was there.

Two different stories about the same event

(Warning: The description below contains graphic details that some may find disturbing.) Doe later recalled being alone in a hotel room with Hegseth. She told police she had her phone in her hand and Hegseth asked her who she was texting with before taking her phone. He tried to leave the room, but Hegseth closed the door, according to the report. He recalled saying “no” frequently and told police.

Her next memory, she told police, was of lying on a bed or couch with Hegseth’s dog tag hanging over her face. The woman said the man ejaculated on her stomach, threw a towel at her and told her to “clean up” before asking if she was okay, according to the report.

Hegseth remembered the situation differently.

He told police that Doe took him to his hotel room, where things escalated between the two, according to the report. He told police there was “always” conversation and consensual contact between him and Doe.

Hegseth recalled Doe showing “early signs of remorse” after the incident and said she would tell her husband that she had fallen asleep on the couch in someone else’s room, according to the report.

Doe returned to her hotel room around 4 a.m. and explained to her husband that she “must have fallen asleep.” She told police she didn’t remember what happened between her and Hegseth until she returned home the next day.

Check for more details the whole storyThis will likely continue to be in the spotlight as Hegseth’s confirmation progresses.

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