WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choose for protection secretary, paid a girl who accused him of sexual assault to go off the specter of a baseless lawsuit, in line with Hegseth’s lawyer.
Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a talking look at a Republican girls’s occasion in Monterey, Calif., in line with a press release launched by town. No costs had been filed.
His lawyer, Tim Parlatore, advised The Related Press on Sunday that the sexual encounter was consensual and that the lady who made the accusation days later was the “aggressor.” That assertion has not been confirmed within the assertion launched by town.
“He was falsely accused, and my position is that he was the victim of blackmail,” Parlatore mentioned, calling it a case of “successful extortion.”
Trump’s transition staff had no fast remark Sunday on the memo.
The one who reported the assault — whose identify, age and intercourse weren’t launched — had bruises on the fitting thigh, in line with town’s assertion. No weapons had been concerned within the encounter, the particular person advised police.
The incident occurred someday between 11:59 p.m. Oct. 7 and seven a.m. the next day, in line with town’s assertion.
Hegseth was in Monterey on the time to handle the California Federation of Republican Ladies throughout a banquet dinner held on the group’s biennial conference, in line with social media posts and promotional supplies from the time.
Monterey officers mentioned they had been withholding additional particulars included within the police report as a result of it included evaluation and conclusions by legislation enforcement officers which might be exempt from launch below state public information legislation.
After the accusation first surfaced final week, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump transition, issued a press release saying the president-elect 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,” Cheung mentioned.