Trump's pick for Defense chief investigated in Monterey assault allegation

Trump’s pick to lead Department of Defense was investigated in Monterey sexual assault allegation

Then-President Trump stands next to Pete Hegseth at a crowded event in the East Room of the White House in 2017.

By Joseph SernaDeputy Editor, Fast Break Desk

Nov. 15, 2024 Updated 8:30 AM PT

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, was investigated for an alleged sexual assault in the city of Monterey in 2017, according to a statement the city released Thursday in response to media inquiries.

The city’s statement discloses that it had one police report connected to an investigation from October of that year regarding an alleged sexual assault at an address on Old Golf Course Road.

According to the statement, the alleged incident occurred between midnight and 7 a.m. on Oct. 8 and was reported four days later, on the afternoon of Oct. 12.

The report did not include the name of Hegseth’s accuser, and the statement did not disclose the results of the police investigation, which Monterey said was exempt from California’s public records laws.

The statement went on to say that no weapons were alleged to be involved, but the victim reported a contusion to their right thigh.

The city provided no other information about the investigation.

Vanity Fair was the first to report the allegation.

Trump’s communications officer, Steven Cheung, told the magazine: “Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed.”

Timothy Parlatore, Hegseth’s lawyer, told Vanity Fair: “This allegation was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.”

Hegseth, 44, was a co-host of the channel’s morning program “Fox & Friends” weekend edition since 2017. An Army National Guard officer, he joined the network as a contributor in 2014.

Hegseth is a graduate of Princeton University, and has a graduate degree from Harvard University. For his military service, he was decorated with two Bronze Stars, as well as a Combat Infantryman Badge.

Hegseth is a bestselling author for Fox News Books, the network’s publishing imprint.

“His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today,” Fox News said in a statement. “We are extremely proud of his work at Fox News and wish him the best of luck in Washington.”

The nomination of a TV host with no senior military or government experience overseeing the nation’s defense has provoked incredulity among some veterans and defense experts.

Hegseth has called for purging the military of top officials or anyone who has advocated for diversity and inclusion programs, and he has questioned whether women should be allowed to serve in combat.

Staff writers Stephen Battaglio and Jenny Jarvie contributed to this report.