Trump’s Defense Secy pick Pete Hegseth denies sexual assault, claims blackmail and paying off rape accuser to stay mum

Pete Hegseth, president-elect Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, has rejected the claims of assaulting a woman, according to his attorney.

Pete Hegseth, president-elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, has rejected the claims of assaulting a woman, claiming that he was blackmailed during the #MeToo movement, according to his attorney, Timothy Parlatore, who spoke with The Post.

Pete Hegseth's lawyer stated he paid an undisclosed sum to the woman who accused him of sexual assault in a settlement deal to keep her silent.

Hegseth's lawyer stated he paid an undisclosed sum to the woman, who accused him of sexual assault, in a settlement deal to keep her silent.

According to Attorney Parlatore, Hegseth has described the incident in Monterey, California, October 2017 as a “consensual sexual encounter.”

Pete Hegseth's lawyer speaks out over sexual assault allegations

Last week, Monterey city officials informed that local police had probed “an alleged sexual assault” involving Hegseth. Citing state public records law, the city refused to share details about the victim and stated that it would not disseminate the whole police report or other comments regarding the inquiry.

In relation to the incident, Hegseth has not been listed as a defendant in any civil complaint or charged in any criminal prosecution.

“Basically, he was totally innocent. He did nothing wrong here,” the lawyer claimed. “We went through a mediation and ultimately settled for far less than what she wanted. And that should have completely buried it.”

A friend of the complainant sent a memo detailing the accusations against Hegseth to the Trump transition team last week, as per the Washington Post.

A conservative organisation's employee, who was in her 30s, was implicated in the alleged event. She accused 44-year-old Hegseth of sexually assaulting her in his hotel room following heavy drinking at night.

In October 2017, Hegseth addressed the California Federation of Republican Women and was lodging at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa.

Parlatore claimed that the woman was sober when she started the rendezvous with Hegseth, but he would not reveal the sum paid or the woman's identity.

“He had way too many drinks, and according to video surveillance and eyewitness testimony, this woman who was sober, took advantage of him, and she was the aggressor,” the lawyer said.

“She took him by the arm and she led him up to his room.”

According to the Washington Post, the woman was in charge of making sure Hegseth returned to his room and went to the airport the following day, according to the letter submitted to the Trump transition team, which no independent source has confirmed.