More trouble surrounds President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth as a police report revealed new details about a sexual assault allegation against him.
In the 22-page report, obtained by CNN, a California woman alleged that Hegseth physically blocked her from leaving a hotel room, took her phone away, and then sexually assaulted her even though she "remembered saying 'no' a lot." The report also outlined details of video surveillance showing some of their movements that night.
According to the report, the assault took place. on October 8, 2017, at the Hyatt Hotel in Monterey, California. Investigators were first notified of the alleged assault by a nurse who received a request for a sexual assault examination. The patient told medical staff that she believed she had been assaulted five days earlier but could not recall many details. She suggested that something may have been slipped into her drink before she ended up in the hotel room where the assault allegedly took place.
However, Hegseth told police that his encounter with the woman – named as Jane Doe in the report – was consensual. He also said that he repeatedly made sure the woman "was comfortable with what was going on between the two of them."
While Hegseth was not charged at the time, the scrutiny into the incident that took place seven years ago can jeopardize Hegseth's nomination and seem likely to be central in his upcoming confirmation hearing.
On Thursday, Hegseth is set to visit Capitol Hill and is expected to meet with JD Vance and Republican senators ahead of his confirmation process.
Meanwhile, aspokesperson for Trump's transition said that the police report "corroborates what Mr. [Pete] Hesgeth's attorney's have said all along," the Associated Press reported.
"The incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false," the spokesperson said.
