WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� , President-elect Donald Trump's pick for paid a woman who to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit, according to Hegseth鈥檚 lawyer.
Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking appearance at a Republican women鈥檚 event in Monterey, California, according to a . No charges were filed.
His lawyer, Tim Parlatore, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the sexual encounter was consensual and that the woman who made the accusation days later was the 鈥渁ggressor.鈥� That assertion has not been confirmed in the statement released by the city.
Parlatore said a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential settlement a few years after the police investigation because believed the filing of a threatened lawsuit could have gotten him fired from Fox 撸奶社区, where he was then a popular host. Parlatore would not reveal the amount of the payment.
鈥淗e was falsely accused and my position is that he was the victim of blackmail,鈥� Parlatore said, calling it a case of 鈥渟uccessful extortion.鈥�
The Washington Post earlier reported details of the payment. The newspaper also reported it obtained a copy of a memo sent to Trump's transition team this past week by a woman who said she is a friend of the accuser that details the sexual assault allegations.
Trump鈥檚 transition team had no immediate comment Sunday on the memo.
The person who reported the assault 鈥� whose name, age and sex were not released 鈥� had bruises on the right thigh, according to the city's statement. No weapons were involved in the encounter, the person told police.
The incident occurred sometime between 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 7 a.m. the following morning, according to the city鈥檚 statement.
Hegseth was in Monterey at the time to address the California Federation of Republican Women during a banquet dinner held at the group鈥檚 biennial convention, according to social media posts and promotional materials from the time.
Monterey officials said they were withholding further details included in the police report because it included analysis and conclusions by law enforcement officials that are exempt from release under state public records law.
At the time of the 2017 accusations, Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce with his second wife, with whom he has three children. She filed for divorce after he had a child with a Fox 撸奶社区 producer who is now his wife, according to court records and social media posts by Hegseth. His first marriage ended in 2009, also after infidelity by Hegseth, according to court records.
After the accusations first surfaced last week, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump transition, issued a statement saying the president-elect is 鈥渘ominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration.鈥�
鈥淢r. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again,鈥� Cheung said.
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Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
Eric Tucker, The Associated Press
