Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump’s favorite defense secretary

A woman told police she was sexually assaulted by Pete Hegseth in 2017 after he took her phone, blocked the door of a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday.

Hegseth, a former Fox News personality who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be defense secretary, told police at the time that the meeting was consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said.

News of the allegations surfaced last week when local officials released a brief statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017 after he spoke at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.

“The matter was fully investigated and I was fully exonerated,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, where he met with senators to build support for his nomination.

The report does not say that police determined the allegations were false. Police recommended the case report be forwarded to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.