Graham: Hegseth said he will release accuser from confidentiality agreement
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, former Fox News host and veteran Pete Hegseth, is planning to release the woman who accused him of sexual assault from a confidential settlement agreement.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Graham said Hegseth told him he planned to release his accuser from the agreement.
"I mean, just think about what we're talking about," He said. "I'd want to know if anybody nominated for a high-level job in Washington legitimately assaulted somebody."
Graham added that the accuser would have to publicly make her claims if she wanted them to be considered.
"The Pete Hegseth I know, this is not a problem I've been aware of," Graham said.
"However, if people have an allegation to make, come forward and make it like they did in Kavanaugh," he added, referring to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. "We’ll decide whether or not it's credible."
Graham also said Hegseth is “being tried by anonymous sources," advising anyone with credible allegations against him to come forward.
The woman said Hegseth sexually assaulted her in 2017, when he was the keynote speaker at a Republican conference at a hotel in Monterey, Calif., according to police files from the time. The allegation surfaced shortly after Trump announced his nomination of Hegseth.
The woman said she met Hegseth at an after-party event but does not remember much of the night, except waking up in a hotel room with Hegseth, who allegedly took her phone and blocked her from leaving, according to authorities. She also reportedly said she believes she was raped and possibly drugged, but charges were never filed in the case.
Hegseth has denied the allegations and said it was a consensual encounter with a woman who later regretted cheating on her husband. Through his lawyer, he said he signed a non-disclosure agreement because it was at the height of the #MeToo movement.
Earlier this month, Hegseth’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, told CNN a civil extortion lawsuit against the accuser was considered in 2020 before the agreement was reached.