Ex-wife denies claims of physical abuse
The former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth, the nominee for secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense, has accused him of abusing his ex-wife. However, the ex-wife denies there was any physical abuse.
On Tuesday, United States senators received an affidavit submitted by Danielle Hegseth, the ex-wife of the nominee’s brother, in response to a Jan. 18 letter from Democrat Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., which accuses Hegseth of threatening conduct against his second wife, Samantha Hegseth.
The report, first obtained by NBC News, alleged that Samantha Hegseth often feared for her well-being and developed an escape plan from her husband if necessary.
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Samantha Hegseth told NBC News that “I do not believe your information to be accurate” and said that there had been “no physical abuse in my marriage.”
“First and foremost, I have not and will not comment on my marriage to Pete Hegseth,” Samantha Hegseth said. “I do not have representatives speaking on my behalf, nor have I ever asked anyone to share or speak about the details of my marriage on my behalf, whether it be a reporter, a committee member, a transition team member, etc.”
Reed, who serves as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that he believed “the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation.”
“This behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense,” he added, as quoted by NBC News.
Tim Parlatore, a lawyer for Pete Hegseth, dismissed the allegations in a statement to NBC News, saying that “Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview.”
“Belated claims by Danielle Dietrich, an anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that,” Parlatore continued.
“Ms. Dietrich has had an axe to grind against the entire Hegseth family. … Ms. Dietrich admits that she saw nothing but is now falsely accusing Sam of lying to both the Court and to the FBI because of private, undocumented statements that she allegedly made 10 years ago.”
Last November, Donald Trump announced that Hegseth, a U.S. Army veteran and co-host of the Fox News show “Fox & Friends Weekend,” would be the defense secretary nominee.
“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country,” Trump stated at the time. “Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice.”
The nomination garnered criticism due to claims of Hegseth having a history of alcohol abuse, allegations of sexual misconduct and public opposition to women serving on combat duty.
Shortly after the nomination was announced, allegations surfaced that Hegseth had sexually assaulted a woman in a California hotel room in 2017. Hegseth denied any wrongdoing, claiming that it was a consensual encounter.
While a district attorney refused to file charges against Hegseth in 2018 over the incident due to not having “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” Hegseth reached a confidential settlement with the woman in 2023.
During an hours-long hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month, Hegseth was grilled on multiple issues, including his failed marriages and admitted adultery, as well as the 2017 incident.
During the hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., pointed to an email sent by Hegseth’s mother in 2018 stating that Hegseth had “abused in some way” multiple women over the years.
“I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth,” she wrote, as quoted by The New York Times.
Hegseth’s mother told media outlets she had written the email “in haste” and with “deep emotions” and soon afterward, “retracted it with an apology email.”
