Fox News host Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's selection to serve as Secretary of Defensewho paid a confidential financial settlement to a woman accused him of sexual harassment His lawyer told CBS News out of concern that the allegations would lead to him being fired from the cable news giant.
Hegseth's attorney, Timothy Palator, said the Army veteran entered into a confidential settlement to prevent his accuser from pursuing a lawsuit, stating that he was innocent and that the sexual encounter was consensual. Hegseth denies any wrongdoing.
“The reality is, had they filed [a lawsuit]Civil proceedings take a long time, and so Fox News would likely have fired her based on the allegations,” Palatore said. “The woman and her attorney knew that just filing this would create an immediate firestorm for them.” Will be done.'' [Hegseth],
Fox News did not respond to an inquiry when the network learned of Hegseth's settlement agreement.
Trump's transition team spoke to Palator after Hegseth was nominated to be Trump's acting secretary of defense, the lawyer said. He said he “explained it thoroughly” to them but that he did not know what conversations Hegseth had previously had with the transition team, or whether he was informed of the sexual harassment allegations and settlement before the announcement of his impending nomination for defense. Was informed about the agreement. Secretary.
,This should have nothing to do with the confirmation process,” he said.
John Lamparski/Getty Images
Trump has indicated that these revelations would not have prevented him from selecting Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. After reports of the sexual harassment allegation surfaced, Trump's communications director Steven Cheung said, “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has made clear that any and all The allegations are vigorously denied, and no charges have been filed.” ,
The alleged sexual assault occurred just after midnight on October 8, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa. The woman, whose identity has been protected, filed a complaint with the Monterey Police Department four days later, alleging that Hegseth had sexually assaulted her. The city of Monterey confirmed Hegseth's 2017 investigation and said in a statement Investigators found that the woman had “bruises” on her right thigh. No charges were filed, Palatore said.
Washington Post, which First reported financial paymentIt is referred to as a memo stating that it was sent to the Trump transition team by a friend of the accuser alleging that Hegseth left a room in his room after drinking at a hotel bar. An employee of a conservative group was raped. According to the Post, the memo states that the day after the incident, the accuser “had a vague memory of being raped the night before and had a panic attack.”
CBS News has not seen the memo and cannot confirm its contents.
Palatore told CBS News there is eyewitness testimony and video surveillance footage that allegedly shows the accused was “aggressive” in the consensual sexual encounter. ,[Hegseth] was drunk. She was calm. She was the one who held his hand and led him out of the bar to take him upstairs,” he said.
Asked if CBS News could view the footage, Palator said, “No.” He also refused to share the name of any eyewitness.
CNN reported It spoke to the alleged victim last week, who became “visibly distraught at the mention of Hegseth's name.” CNN says he declined to be interviewed at the time and then stopped responding.
Palator would not share the exact timing of the settlement payment to the woman. He said this happened “a few years ago”, emphasizing that this was “well before Trump was nominated [for the presidency]Leave alone nominating Pete for this position.”
She also declined to disclose the amount of the settlement, saying only that it was “much less than what she wanted.” He described it as “essentially extortion and blackmail”.
Two years after the alleged incident, Palatore said Hegseth was informed that the woman was making “false claims” against him and threatening to sue him. Palatore said he had lost his job and claimed he needed the money. In February 2020, he sent her a cease-and-desist letter. She remained “sober for a year” before she found out she had found a lawyer for her case.
Trump's selection of Hegseth has been surrounded by controversy. The announcement that the Fox News personality was his choice for Secretary of Defense surprised many in Washington. “Wow,” Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska responded when she learned she had been selected to lead the Defense Department. When asked for her thoughts she repeated, “I just said, wow.”
Even Hegseth's Tattoo has attracted scrutinySpecifically the “Deux Volt” tattoo on his inner bicep. The symbolism of that tattoo, which is linked to extremist groups and the Christian Crusaders, alarmed a member of Hegseth's National Guard unit, who warned superiors that Hegseth was a potential “insider threat” ahead of President Joe Biden's inauguration. Was. He was removed from inauguration security.
After the Associated Press reported that Hegseth was flagged as a threat, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance defended him on social media, and the outlet blasted “Pete Hegseth for tattooing a Christian motto on his arm.” Accused of “assault”. hegseth Then shared Vance's tweet, commenting, “They can target me – I don't care – but this type of targeting of Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday Americans should be shut down on the first day at DJT's DOD. Will go.”
The news of Hegseth's financial settlement agreement with a confidentiality clause may sound familiar to Trump. The president-elect's own troubles related to a nondisclosure agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels led to a New York trial, in which he became a convicted felon, as well as becoming the first former (and now future) president to be criminally prosecuted. .
got trump Guilty in 34 cases of falsifying business records related to allegedly concealing payments to Daniels. He has argued that the verdict should be overturned and that the indictment should be dismissed based on, among other things, the Supreme Court's decision. presidential immunity rule,
And
Contributed to this report.