Trump’s defense secretary pick Fox News’ Pete Hegseth was investigated for sexual assault in 2017

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, was investigated for alleged sexual abuse in 2017, but no charges were filed.

The alleged incident occurred in the early morning hours of October 8, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa in Monterey, California. the city said in a statement.

Police were investigating “an alleged sexual assault” involving Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran, which was reported four days later, according to the statement.

The victim’s name and age are confidential.

No weapons were involved, according to the statement, but there were injuries — “bruises to the right thigh.”

No further details were released and the city said it would not release the full police report, noting it was exempt from public disclosure. The statement did not say what happened to the investigation.

Hegseth, who was separated from his second wife at the time of the alleged incident, has not been charged in any criminal case and has not been named as a defendant in any civil lawsuit.

Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer representing Hegseth, told the press: “This statement confirms that although an allegation has been made, it has been fully investigated and no charges have been filed.”

Trump’s transition team was aware of the accusation.

The new chief of staff Susie Wiles was informed about it on Wednesday evening. Vanity fair reported.

Wiles and Trump’s lawyers spoke with Hegseth about it on Thursday. Hegseth told them the accusation stemmed from a consensual meeting and called it a “he-said, she-said” situation, a source told Vanity Fair.

Hegseth was a speaker at the California Federation of Republican Women conference at the Monterey hotel when the meeting that led to the investigation took place.

The Trump team stands behind their nominee.

‘Sir. Hegseth has strongly denied all allegations and no charges have been filed,” said Trump communications director Steven Cheung. “We look forward to his appointment as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get to work on day one to make America safe and great again.”

Hegseth’s appointment to lead the Pentagon is controversial.

He is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan with a handful of military medals, including two Bronze Stars.

But many have wondered whether the 44-year-old co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekends” can handle managing the Defense Department, which has an $842 billion budget, nearly 3 million employees and 750 military installations around the world.

He also has a history of controversial statements.

Hegseth once called liberals “domestic enemies.”

And he has said women should not be allowed to serve in the U.S. military, a point he has repeatedly emphasized, including last week in an interview with “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast.

“I’ll just be honest: we shouldn’t have women in combat roles,” Hegseth said on that podcast. “It hasn’t made us more effective, it hasn’t made us more deadly, it hasn’t made fighting more complicated.”

His support for combat veterans accused of war crimes has also drawn criticism.

Pete Hegseth with Donald Trump in the Oval Office when Trump was president

Many have wondered if he can win Senate confirmation due to his lack of experience.

As of 2019, Hegseth has been married to his third wife, Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet. The two married at Trump’s National Gold Club in Colts Neck, New Jersey.

Hegseth and his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, divorced in 2009. He and his second wife, Samantha Deering, divorced in August 2017, the year he was investigated for alleged sexual abuse.

An ally of Hegseth blamed the resurfacing of the allegation on members of the Republican Party trying to thwart Hegseth’s nomination.

“They will try to destroy all these nominations before the confirmation vote,” the ally told Vanity Fair.