Police in California have confirmed they investigated an alleged sexual assault involving Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary.
The incident allegedly took place about two months after Hegseth, a then twice-married family values Christian, had a baby daughter with his mistress at the time, former Fox producer Jennifer Rauchet.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and father of a blended family of seven children, was reportedly dating Rauchet while he was still married to his second wife, Samantha Deering.
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According to a media release from the City of Monterey, the alleged assault happened at 1 Old Golf Course Road, the address of the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa, in the early hours of the morning on Oct. 8, 2017.
Less than three weeks later, Hegseth was pictured at a private dinner with Trump at the White House.
CNN reports that Facebook photos from the California Federation of Republican Women conference showed Hegseth was a speaker at the event around the time of the alleged assault.
The statement from the City of Monterey names Hegseth as being involved but does not say he was the accused. It does say the name and age of the alleged victim were “confidential.”
No weapons or property were involved, but the report said there were “contusions to the right thigh” without identifying who suffered the injuries.
The Fox News favorite and combat veteran has denied any allegations made against him emphatically.
Quoting two sources, Vanity Fair reported that Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles was briefed on the sexual misconduct allegations on Thursday. Hegseth reportedly told Wiles the allegation followed a consensual encounter.
The former Fox & Friends co-host’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore told Vanity Fair: “This allegation was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.”
Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, was also quoted as saying: “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.”
The president-elect’s choice for Pentagon chief had a daughter, Gwen, with TV producer Jennifer Rauchet in August 2017, whom he dated while still married to his second wife, Samantha Deering, the mother of three of his children.
Fox News contributor Robert J. O’Neill posted an Instagram photo of him with his wife attending a private dinner with Trump at the White House on around Oct. 23, 2017, together with Hegseth and Rauchet.
According to reports, Hegseth divorced Deering in August 2017 and married Rauchet in 2019.
He is a fervent family values Christian and boasts at least two tattoos with origins in the Crusades, a series of religious wars seeking to reconquer the Holy Land in the medieval period.
Hegseth has said he relocated his family to Tennessee to attend a Christian private school.
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