A California girl accused protection secretary nominee Pete Hegseth of sexually assaulting her in his lodge room in 2017 after taking her cellphone and refusing to let her depart, in keeping with a just-released police report.
The girl advised cops that President-elect Trump’s choose to steer the Pentagon blocked her from leaving the room earlier than forcing himself on her in a boozy encounter at a Republican occasion in Monterey.
The alleged sufferer mentioned she believes she was drugged and remembered “saying ‘no’ a lot,” police wrote within the 22-page report launched late Wednesday night time after a public info request.
He denied the costs and advised police the encounter was consensual. He admits paying an undisclosed quantity to the lady final yr to go off a lawsuit.
The police report gives the primary detailed account of the allegations in opposition to Hegseth, who faces what might be a difficult affirmation battle within the Republican-held Senate.
The title of the accuser, an organizer of the California Federation of Republican Girls’s occasion, has not been launched.
The Trump transition group Thursday claimed the report backs up Hegseth’s account of the troubling incident.
“The incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed.” a Trump spokesperson mentioned.
Police advisable the case be forwarded to the prosecutors for evaluation. It’s unclear why they didn’t proceed.
The alleged sufferer, who reported the incident just a few days after the alleged assault, advised police that Hegseth had been performing inappropriately all through the night time and noticed him feeling up girls’s thighs. She texted a pal that Hegseth was giving her “creeper” vibes, in keeping with the report.
She argued with Hegseth by the lodge pool, an account that’s supported by a lodge staffer, in keeping with the report.
After feeling hazy, the lady mentioned she wound up inside Hegseth’s lodge room. She advised police that he took her cellphone and blocked the door along with his physique in order that she couldn’t depart earlier than raping her, in keeping with the report
Hegseth, now 44, was going via a divorce on the time of the alleged assault. He acknowledged being “buzzed” however not drunk when he met the lady, whom he advised police willingly went with him to his room for intercourse.
He mentioned the lady “showed early signs of regret” the morning after the encounter, the report says.
Initially Revealed: November 21, 2024 at 11:01 AM EST
