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Lindsey Graham Claims Hegseth Vowed to Let His Accuser Out of Silence Deal

Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense reached a confidentiality agreement with the woman after she accused him of sexual assault.

Pete Hegseth plans to let a woman who accused him of sexual assault out of a confidentiality agreement, according to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Former Fox News star Hegseth—President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick to lead the Department of Defense—said during a private meeting last week that he would release the woman from the deal barring her from discussing her allegations publicly, Graham told NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday. The woman accused Hegseth in 2017 of trapping her in a hotel room at a conference in Monterey, California, and forcing her to have a sexual encounter even after she repeatedly said “no,” according to a police report. Hegseth says the encounter was consensual and no charges were filed, with his attorney claiming that he later reached a settlement with the woman that included a confidentiality clause out of fear that her claims could cost him his job at Fox. “He told me he would release her from that agreement,” Graham told NBC, adding that those making allegations against Hegseth should do so in public. “Right now, he’s being tried by anonymous sources. That will not stand,” the lawmaker added. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, has previously said the confidentiality agreement is no longer in effect, but threatened to sue the woman for defamation if she makes “false statements” about his client.