Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law told senators in a sworn affidavit that he made his ex-wife fear for her safety, grabbed her and was dragged out of multiple nightlife venues for unruly drunken behavior.
Danielle Hegseth, who was married to Pete Hegseth’s brother, Nathaniel between 2011 and 2019, has come forward to describe family life at the time. NBC News reports that an unredacted version of her affidavit contains a new claim: that he once grabbed her by the groin.
She said Hegseth’s second wife once sought refuge in a closet after he threatened her and had shared a code word she would text her sister-in-law when Hegseth left her feeling threatened, adding that she sent the code word in 2015 or 2016.
“As I told the FBI, Samantha once told me that Hegseth grabbed her groin without consent at their home. Samantha told me about this sometime during the years between 2014-2016,” Danielle says in the affidavit. “I believe what Samantha told me because what she told me is consistent with what I personally observed of Hegseth’s erratic and aggressive behavior over many years.”
“I believe Hegseth has an alcohol abuse problem and was abusive to his ex-wife Samantha, as I understand those terms as a lay person.”
She first made the allegations to the FBI and then shared them with the Senate Armed Services Committee because, the affidavit says, she does not believe he is qualified to be the U.S. secretary of defense.
While she accused Hegseth of being “abusive” towards his ex-wife, she said she did not witness any abuse firsthand. Her accounts relate to events that happened roughly a decade ago.
The affidavit was obtained by multiple media outlets including NBC News, CNN, and Fox News. It was submitted in response to a request for information by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking Democrat on the committee.
Hegseth’s lawyer Tim Parlatore told CNN, in a statement, that his ex-sister-in-law is a lifelong Democrat and suggested her allegations, which he said are false, are motivated by partisan politics.
“She hates Pete and there is no truth to any of this,” Parlatore, who did not immediately reply to a request for comment from the Daily Beast, said. “Most of what she is saying are things she didn’t in fact witnesses, she is accusing his ex-wife of lying in her divorce proceeding and lying to the FBI. She shared this info during his background check and FBI followed up and was unable to find corroboration.”
Minnesota court records show Pete Hegseth and Samantha Hegseth signed a document in 2021 as part of their divorce proceedings that stated neither parent was a victim of domestic abuse.
NBC News reported that it spoke to two sources who were aware of Samantha’s “safe word,” which Danielle’s affidavit says was part of a plan she put in place with family and friends in case “she felt she needed to get away from Hegseth.”
“There was no physical abuse in my marriage,” Samantha told NBC News. “This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision.”
Samantha also told the broadcaster, when asked about some of the allegations in the affidavit, that she did “not believe your information to be accurate.” She did not immediately reply to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
In addition to the issues she raised about his former marriage, Danielle also noted several incidents of concern related to Hegseth’s alleged alcohol consumption.
At one Christmas event, she said, she witnessed him pass out after vomiting.
At a Minneapolis bar in 2013, she said Hegseth was allegedly dragged out after he broke glasses—and she said he made remarks implicitly condoning non-consensual sex on the way home.
Years earlier, in 2009, she said he was dragged out of a Minneapolis strip club after showing up in his military uniform and becoming intoxicated.
Danielle also claimed her ex-brother-in-law made disparaging remarks about Hispanic people and implied Christians needed to increase their birth rate to fend off an ascendant Muslim population.
Hegseth, an army veteran and former Fox News host, has faced questions about his drinking and womanizing since he was tapped by President Donald Trump as his defense secretary nominee.
A woman filed a sexual assault report against him in 2017, claiming he blocked her from leaving a California hotel room before sexually assaulting her. Hegseth says the encounter was consensual and no charges were brought.
Former employees at two veterans groups he led, as well as ex-colleagues at Fox News, have alleged in media reports that he drank at work and was intoxicated at work-related events. Hegseth has also denied these claims.
“I’m not a perfect person,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee at a confirmation hearing last week, during which he was grilled about his multiple marriages and the drinking allegations.
The committee voted 14-13 in favor of Hegseth’s nomination Monday on party lines.
The full Senate is expected to vote to advance his nomination on Thursday, which would set up a final vote on Friday or Saturday.
His chance of confirmation hinges on maintaining the support of the Republican caucus.
One GOP stalwart, Maine Senator Susan Collins, said Wednesday that she was concerned Trump’s transition team did not initially disclose to lawmakers the allegations in Danielle’s affidavit.
“I’ve heard from others that pertinent information has not been included, and that is troubling,” Collins told NBC News. “Because when you’re making a decision on a nominee, you want to have as complete a picture as possible.”
