Trump chose paid woman at Pentagon after sexual assault accusation, but denies wrongdoing, says his lawyer

WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseththe election of president-elect Donald Trump secretary of defense he paid the woman who accused him of sexual assault according to Hegseth’s lawyer, to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit.

According to the report, Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after speaking at a Republican Party women’s event in Monterey, California. statement issued by the city. No charges were brought.

His lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the sexual intercourse was consensual and that the woman, who filed an accusation with police days later, was the “aggressor.” This claim was not confirmed in the statement issued by the city.

Parlatore said the woman received payment as part of a confidential settlement several years after the police investigation Hegseth he feared she was ready to file a lawsuit, which he feared could result in him being fired from Fox News, where he was a popular host. Parlatore did not disclose the payment amount.

“He was falsely accused and my position is that he was a victim of blackmail,” Parlatore said, calling it a case of “effective extortion.”

The Washington Post previously reported payment details. The newspaper also reported that it obtained a copy of a memo sent last week to Trump’s transition team by a woman who said she was a friend of the accuser and detailed allegations of sexual assault.

Trump’s transition team had no comment on the memo on Sunday.

The city’s statement said the person who reported the assault – whose name, age and gender were not released – had bruises on her right thigh. The person told police no weapons were used in the encounter.

According to a city statement, the incident occurred between 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 7 a.m. the next morning.

According to social media posts and promotional materials from the time, Hegseth was in Monterey at the time to address the California Federation of Republican Women at a banquet held as part of the group’s biennial convention.

Monterey officials said they were withholding further details from the police report because it contained the analyzes and conclusions of law enforcement officers, who are exempt from discharge under the state’s public records law.

At the time of the 2017 indictment, Hegseth, 44, was in the process of divorcing his second wife, with whom he has three children. Court records and Hegseth’s social media posts show that she filed for divorce after he had a child with the Fox News producer, who is now his wife. Court records show that his first marriage ended in 2009, also due to Hegseth’s infidelity.

After the allegations first surfaced last week, Steven Cheung, Trump’s transition spokesman and White House communications director nominee, issued a statement saying the president-elect was “nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his administration. “

“Mr. Hegseth has vehemently denied all allegations and no charges have been filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so that he can begin working to make America safe and great again on day one,” Cheung said.

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Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.