Pete Hegseth paid $50,000 to a woman alleging 2017 sexual assault

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he paid $50,000 as part of a confidentiality agreement to a woman who alleged he sexually assaulted her, according to documents obtained by CNN.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he paid $50,000 as part of a confidentiality agreement to a woman who alleged he sexually assaulted her, according to documents obtained by CNN. In a written correspondence with the committee, Hegseth responded to a question from Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren about the sexual assault allegation, which he has publicly denied and contended was a “nuisance claim.” Hegseth, who was never charged with a crime in connection with the 2017 incident in Monterey, California, has said that he reached a settlement agreement that included a confidentiality clause with his accuser in order to prevent her from trying to tarnish his career as a Fox News host with allegations he says are false. Hegseth’s attorney Tim Parlatore confirmed to CNN in November that his client had paid the accuser years after the alleged incident. But the dollar amount, first reported by The Associated Press, had not been publicly known until Hegseth revealed it to the committee. On Thursday, Parlatore again called the accusers claims false. “As we said from the beginning, these were false claims that we settled for nuisance value, much less than it would have cost to defend,” the attorney said in a statement to CNN. Hegseth is on his way to winning Senate confirmation after clearing a key procedural hurdle on a 51-49 vote. Two Republicans – Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine – voted against the nomination, citing his character and qualifications for the job.