Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, addressed the sexual assault accusation against him head on Thursday.
Asked by a reporter if he did what a woman has accused him doing in Monterey, California, Hegseth said, “It’s very simple, the matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared.”
It was the first time Hegseth has addressed the matter that threatens to upend his Senate confirmation. Hegseth was attending meetings on Capitol Hill to rally GOP senators to his side.
“And that’s where I’m gonna leave it,” he added.
Hegseth’s comment came after news broke of a police report filed around the alleged incident. According to the report, Hegseth’s accuser told police that he blocked her into his hotel room, took her phone, and assaulted her as she repeatedly told him “no.”
She also told a nurse that she could not remember much of the night and thought her drink may have been drugged.
The alleged incident occurred in 2017, when Hegseth spoke at a convention of the California Federation of Republican Women in Monterey.
Hegseth has said he and his accuser had consensual intercourse. He paid her as part of a settlement agreement, but was never charged with a crime.
His lawyer on Wednesday said the police report was evidence the matter was “fully investigated,” the same words Hegseth used a day later.
Hegseth spent Thursday courting senators as vice president-elect JD Vance shepherded him around.
He quickly earned fans, with multiple Republicans suggesting the interactions went well and that he would be confirmed.
“I look forward to supporting his confirmation,” Sen. Bill Hagerty added.
Tennessee’s other U.S. senator, Republican Marsha Blackburn, also signaled her support of Hegseth.
“He will put our enemies on notice and make our military great again,” she said.
