Washington — The former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth, President Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, told senators in a sworn statement that he left his second wife in fear for her personal safety and abused alcohol for several years.
In an affidavit to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee obtained by CBS News, Danielle Hegseth said she was married to Pete Hegseth's brother from 2011 to 2019. He relayed what he had told to FBI agents, who investigated Hegseth's background. Of enrollment process. He wrote that his statement came in response to a letter from Senator Jack Reed, the committee's top Democrat.
NBC News first reported On the document. Hegseth's attorney Tim Parlatore denied the allegations, and called Danielle Hegseth an “anti-Trump leftist Democrat.”
In the affidavit, she wrote that Samantha Hegseth, Pete Hegseth's second and now ex-wife, told her that she once hid in a closet from Hegseth out of fear for her safety, saying the incident occurred between 2014 and 2016. He said this anecdote was consistent with what he had observed about Hegseth's behavior over many years.
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Hegseth's former sister-in-law also alleged that his ex-wife had a scheme she would use to get away from her husband. The plan involved Samantha Hegseth sending a secure message to Danielle Hegseth, who would then call a friend who could help her. Danielle Hegseth wrote that she received a message with a secure word and called the friend once between 2015 and 2016. Pete and Samantha Hegseth were married from 2010 to 2018.
Danielle Hegseth acknowledged that she did not personally witness the abuse and noted what she knew about the situation she heard from Hegseth's ex-wife.
on your confirmation hearing Last week, Hegseth was asked by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine: “Have you ever engaged in any act of physical violence against either of your wives?” He replied: “Senator, absolutely not.”
Danielle Hegseth also claimed that he drunkenly yelled at her during a 2009 incident and had to be pulled away, and that she had personally witnessed Hegseth abuse alcohol on several occasions. She said Hegseth would drink at family functions to the point of passing out, describing one evening where she said she was dragged out of a bar, and another incident where she said she passed out in the bar's bathroom. It happened, among other incidents.
The affidavit was signed Tuesday in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Hegseth's former sister-in-law said in the affidavit that his statement reiterated what he told the FBI.
Danielle Hegseth said she was responding because she did not think her former brother-in-law was suitable to serve as secretary of defense. He encouraged the Senate to consider the affidavit in its vote on Hegseth's nomination, which advanced out of committee on Monday.
Hegseth's attorney Parlatore denied the allegations in a statement and said that Hegseth's ex-wife “never alleged that any abuse occurred.” He said that Samantha Hegseth signed court documents to that effect and confirmed that no misconduct had occurred during her FBI interview.
“The late claims from anti-Trump far-left Democrat Danielle Dietrich, who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth's brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change this,” Parlatore said. “After a bitter divorce, Ms. Dietrich has an ax to grind against the entire Hegseth family. Ms. Dietrich admits she saw nothing, but now accuses Sam of lying to both the court and the FBI because of the private, undocumented Alleging statements which he allegedly made 10 years ago.”
Samantha Hegseth could not immediately be reached for comment, but she told NBC News in an email that “I do not find your information accurate” and declined to speak about her marriage to Hegseth.
Hegseth appeared before the Armed Services Committee in his defense. confirmation hearing On January 14, where he faced tough questions from Democrats over his views on women in the military and allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied.
Hegseth faced intense scrutiny over reports about his background, and for weeks was considered one of Mr. Trump's Cabinet nominees with the toughest path to confirmation. But Republican senators on the Armed Services Committee defended his nomination during the hearing, after which a key member, Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, expressed his support for Hegseth's confirmation.
Contributed to this report.