US Defense pick Pete Hegseth paid woman to hush sexual assault but denies act as ‘consensual’

Pete Hegseth, recently chosen by President-elect Donald Trump as the nominee for secretary of defense, paid a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct, according to a nondisclosure agreement. However, Hegseth althrough maintained that the act was consensual.

Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, said that Hegseth was “visibly intoxicated” at the time of the incident, and claimed that when police were contacted by the woman several days later concluded that she had been the aggressor, as per the documents obtained by Washington Post.  Police have not verified this claim.

The report also stated that Hegseth agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to the woman because he feared that revelation of the matter “would result in his immediate termination from Fox.”