Hegseth paid sexual assault accuser $50,000

Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth paid his sexual assault accuser $50,000 in a settlement agreement with the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Hegseth is accused of a 2017 sexual assault by Doe, who met him at a Republican conference in October of that year at a hotel in the California city of Monterey.

A settlement agreement was reached in 2020 after Hegseth sent the accuser a cease-and-desist letter.

Hegseth's lawyer denied his client did anything wrong but publicly said the woman was paid to keep the case from going public at a tense time in the #MeToo era.

The agreement was previously reported, along with the fact that Hegseth had paid the woman. But the details of the $50,000 payment, first reported by The Associated Press, have been confirmed for the first time.

The payment figure was made available in response to questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

The Hill has reached out to Hegseth's attorney, Timothy Parlatore, for comment.

Hegseth has denied the allegations that he sexually assaulted the woman, claiming it was a consensual affair.

The woman, in a police report, said she believes she was drugged at a hotel bar and barely remembers most of the night. But she reported remembering waking up in a hotel room with Hegseth on top of her and Hegseth preventing her from leaving the room.

Hegseth cleared a key Senate procedural vote Thursday and is on track for full confirmation on Friday night, though two GOP senators came out opposing him. Hegseth can only afford to lose one more vote.

Besides the sexual assault allegation, Hegseth is battling numerous accusations of improper behavior, including heavy drinking on the job and financial mismanagement at two veterans groups he once led. Hegseth has denied all the allegations.

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