Pete Hegseth: Police report detailing 2017 allegations against Trump's defence secretary pick emerges
A police report has emerged detailing 2017 sexual assault allegations made against Donald Trump's choice for defence secretary, Pete Hegseth.
According to the newly released report, the woman told police she was sexually assaulted by Mr Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a hotel room and refused to let her leave
The former Fox News personality told police at the time the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, according to the report, released by the Monterey Police Department in California.
Mr Hegseth was not charged with any offences.
His lawyer, Timothy Palatore, said in a statement the police report confirmed that the incident was fully investigated and police found the allegations "to be false, which is why no charges were filed".
The allegations emerged last weekend, when Mr Hegseth confirmed he had paid an undisclosed amount as part of a settlement with his accuser.
The documents detailing the allegations were then released this week following a request by US journalists under a local public records act.
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The report said the unidentified woman, referred to as "Jane Doe", met Mr Hegseth in 2017 at a hotel in Monterey, where he was speaking.
The woman is said to have confronted Hegseth at the event because "she did not appreciate how he treated women", the report said.
The woman said she was drinking a "small amount of Champagne" at an after-party but didn't remember having any "hard alcohol".
She and a group of other women went to a bar attached to the hotel, where she had more drinks, while Mr Hegseth was allegedly also present.
"That's where things got fuzzy", she told police. She texted a friend that she had consumed more alcohol than normal during the day, the report said.
The woman believed some form of drug was slipped into her drink.
When she left the bar, Mr Hegseth followed her, the report said - she assumed because of their earlier argument.
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The woman then found herself in an unknown room. She told police Mr Hegseth asked whom she was texting and took her phone from her, before physically blocking her attempt to leave the room.
Mr Hegseth told police after the event that he had sex with the woman. but it was consensual and he made sure she was comfortable with what was going on.
He said he had not planned to initiate sex with her and afterwards, she showed "early signs of regret", although he did not elaborate on what those signs were.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment by NBC News, the US partner of Sky News.
