Hegseth, a candidate for defense secretary, faced allegations of sexual assault during a police call in 2017

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, was involved in an alleged sexual assault incident in 2017 at a hotel in Monterey, California, according to local authorities.

The alleged incident occurred in the early morning hours of Oct. 8, 2017, and the victim suffered a bruise on her thigh, according to police records released by the city of Monterey. Authorities have not released the age or identity of the alleged victim.

Tim Parlatore, Hegseth’s personal attorney since 2017, told Military.com on Friday that “as confirmed by the Monterey Police Department, there was an allegation that was fully investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing.”

The nomination of Hegseth, a weekend anchor on Fox News and National Guard The veteran who will lead the Pentagon has shaken up Washington and the defense community this week. As the US military shifts its focus from counterterrorism to countering China, Hegseth’s selection was surprising given his lack of experience in the defense community, but underscored Trump’s appetite for subversion and his key promise to shake up the establishment.

It was still unclear Friday what Hegseth’s priorities would be as defense secretary, and his nomination still needs to be confirmed by the Senate — unless Trump tries to make his own appointments while Congress is on recess, avoiding typical scrutiny by the legislative branch. government. However, the Senate has not been in true recess for years specifically to prevent such executive action.

Hegseth has long been a culture warrior, protesting the so-called military “awakening” culture in various books and media appearances in recent years. Republicans have used the term to mock what they say are creeping liberal policies in the military in recent years. More often than not, this is about the growing number of minorities, women, and other marginalized groups in the ranks, and the policies that recognize and address them.

Among his criticisms, Hegseth was highly critical of women in combat positions, saying that female soldiers were harming the effectiveness of front-line units. Women have long held key roles in the military, but in 2013, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted a ban on direct ground combat, culminating a long-running effort to bring equality to the ranks.

The disclosure of the alleged sexual assault call to police came shortly after Hegseth’s nomination was announced this week. According to a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau, he faced no formal investigations into his conduct during his time in the National Guard.

The National Guard also did not release Hegseth’s full military history as of Friday, including his job assignments, which could shed light on his qualifications.

His military career is a relatively unremarkable one, and he left the DC National Guard as a major in 2021 with just under 13 years of service.

Questions about Hegseth’s service in the D.C. National Guard and his role in the Guard’s response to the January 6, 2021 uprising by Trump supporters who mistakenly believed the presidential election had been stolen remain unanswered.

During a press briefing Thursday, reporters asked Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh about Hegseth’s tenure in the Guard. However, Singh provided little clarity.

“I wasn’t here at the time, and we were going through our own transition as the new Biden administration,” she said. “It’s really something that the services can handle.”

Hegseth ended his Guard career after being among at least a dozen Guardsmen removed from the mission of protecting the Capitol after the January 6 attack.

He claimed he was labeled a danger because of his Jerusalem cross tattoo. However, Hegset also has a tattoo of the “Deus Vult” cross, a symbol associated with the First Crusade. The phrase and cross have since been co-opted by neo-Nazi and far-right groups, prompting further scrutiny of its origins.

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