Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, paid $50,000 to the woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017.

Senators vetting the nomination of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary received an affidavit from a former sister-in-law alleging that the onetime Fox News was abusive to his second wife to the point where she feared for her safety.

Senators voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth's defense secretary bid, which has been mired in a series of controversies. Two Republicans are opposed to Hegseth.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he paid $50,000 to a woman who alleged he sexually assaulted her as part of a non-disclosure agreement,

Hegseth, 44, is a combat veteran and former Fox News host. The committee voted along party lines to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, faces a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Thursday to advance his nomination.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead America’s premier spy agency and his second nominee to win Senate approval.

Danielle Hegseth also claimed that Samantha told her that she once hid in a closet at home because she was afraid. Hegseth has denied the allegations through his attorney, who called Danielle Hegseth an “anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr.

The $50,000 payment was made years after the woman told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her in a California hotel room in 2017.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.