Pete Hegseth falsely claims he was “completely cleared” of sexual assault allegations

President-elect Donald Trump, former Fox News star Pete Hegseth, has been tapped to lead the entire US military and was confronted on Thursday by a reporter who asked him directly if he had raped a woman in 2017, as in described in a police report.

“As far as the media is concerned, it’s quite simple,” said Hegseth, who was meeting on Capitol Hill with senators weighing whether to nominate him as the next U.S. defense secretary.

“The matter has been fully investigated and I have been fully exonerated and I will leave it at that,” he said.

The police report does not say that Hegseth was acquitted; Rather, it recommended that the case be referred to local prosecutors for review, The Associated Press reported.

Prosecutors may choose not to pursue a case for a variety of reasons, including the limited availability of witnesses, whether a jury might find those witnesses credible, and whether alleged victims want to attend the trial.

The incident allegedly occurred at a Republican women’s conference held at a hotel in Monterey, California, where Hegseth had been invited to speak in October 2017.

A woman, whose name was not released, was checked for sexual assault at a medical facility for a few days after she said she woke up with a blurry memory of being assaulted by the Fox host.

She had reportedly previously confronted him in a social setting because she felt he was behaving inappropriately around other women. The woman texted a friend that Hegseth had a “creeping” charisma, the AP noted.

She said that in the evening “things were a blur.” Hegseth allegedly took her to a room at the hotel, took her phone and prevented her from leaving the hotel. She said she had a memory of a shirtless Hegseth leaning over her, his dog tags dangling above him.

The nurse who treated her contacted police about the allegation, the AP said.

Hegseth, a Trump loyalist, faced further opposition in his bid to lead the world’s largest military. During his military service, he never achieved a rank higher than major and lacks leadership experience.

Do you need help? Visit RAINN’s National Online Sexual Assault Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.

Related…