Senators received an affidavit from Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, on Tuesday alleging that he caused his second wife to be fearful for her safety. Democratic senators promptly expressed outrage over the allegations, despite both Hegseth and his ex-wife denying them.
Hegseth, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Defense, addressed several allegations related to sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse during his Senate confirmation hearing on January 14. Notably, many of the allegations were anonymous.
“I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real,” Hegseth said, denying the various allegations but admitting he has changed. “And God forged me in ways I know I’m prepared for.”
Despite his wholehearted rejection of the allegations, Democrats continued to hammer on Hegseth’s past.
“As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation,” Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island said in a statement Tuesday. “I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this sworn affidavit confirms that fact.”
The affidavit in question alleges that Hegseth behaved in a volatile and threatening manner toward his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, making her fear for her safety.
‘Following their divorce, both Pete and Samantha Hegseth signed a court document in 2021 saying neither parent claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.’
“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,” Hegseth’s lawyer Tim Parlatore said in a statement. “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.”
“After an acrimonious divorce, Ms. Dietrich has had an axe to grind against the entire Hegseth family,” Parlatore added. “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.”
Samantha also responded to the affidavit, telling NBC in an email that she does not believe it to be accurate.
“First and foremost, I have not and will not comment on my marriage to Pete Hegseth,” Samantha 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.”
“I do not believe your information to be accurate, and I have cc’d my lawyer,” she added.
“There was no physical abuse in my marriage,” Samantha said. “This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision.”
Following their divorce, both Pete and Samantha Hegseth signed a court document in 2021 saying neither parent claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. The two were married from 2010 to 2018 and have three children.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Pete hegseth, Donald trump, Trump administration, Dod, Department of defense, Pentagon, Trump cabinet, Trump nominees, Allegations, Politics
