Trump defender Pete Hegseth has paid a settlement to the woman who accused him of sexual assault, denies the allegations

A lawyer for Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s new nominee to lead the Defense Department, said in a statement that Hegseth paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017 because he feared losing his job at Fox News, according to reports. according to several reports.

Hegseth has denied the sexual abuse allegation and has never been charged. He paid the woman as part of a settlement agreement that included a confidentiality clause after she threatened lawsuits in 2020, the attorney told media.

He is among a number of controversial nominees Trump has put forward for high-profile positions in his second administration. Hegseth has drawn attention for controversial views on women serving in combat and diversity in the military, statements about firing military leadership and his lack of high-level government or national security experience.

Hegseth, 44, worked for Fox News from 2014 until he left following news of his nomination. He joined Army ROTC in college and after graduation deployed overseas with the Army National Guard, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trump, who was found liable in a civil case last year for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll, is standing by Hegseth during the revelation that he was accused of sexual assault.

“Mr. Hegseth has strongly denied all allegations and no charges have been filed,” Trump transition spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement to USA TODAY last week. “We look forward to his appointment as United States Secretary of Defense.”

City officials in Monterey, California, issued a statement Thursday confirming Hegseth’s involvement in an investigation into an alleged sexual assault, without releasing substantial details about the incident or who the allegations were against.

According to the police statement, the incident occurred sometime overnight between October 7 and 8, 2017. The address listed in the report is that of the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa at Del Monte Golf Course. The incident was reported to police four days later, the news release said.

A woman who says she is a friend of Hegseth’s accuser recently sent a four-page memo to the Trump transition team outlining allegations against the president-elect’s pick to lead the Pentagon.

The memo, which was obtained by the Washington Post and confirmed in other reports, says the 30-year-old woman was at the hotel with the California Federation of Republican Women, a group Hegseth spoke with. She stayed at the hotel with her husband and children and was responsible for ensuring that Hegseth returned to his room on time after his speech and made it to the airport on time the next day.

According to the memo, the woman’s memory of what she claims happened to Hegseth is “hazy,” but the next day “she had a moment of hazy memory of the rape the night before, and had a panic attack.” She was examined in the emergency room.

Hegseth’s attorney Timothy Parlatore said in a statement to USA TODAY on Sunday that “Mr. Hegseth is completely innocent.”

“He was acquitted after a police investigation revealed that the woman was the aggressor in the situation and subsequently the subject of blackmail,” claimed Parlatore, who declined to provide additional details when asked why Hegseth agreed to a financial settlement.

Kinsey Crowley contributed to this report

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump defense pick Hegseth paid off accuser for assault, denies charge