Democratic senators on the Armed Services Committee are reviewing an affidavit that alleges secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth made his second wife fear for her safety.
Fox News has obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, which alleges he has an alcohol abuse problem and at times made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. Danielle Hegseth was married to Pete Hegseth’s brother. She is not the sister of Samantha, Pete Hegseth’s second wife.
The Senate Armed Services Committee was provided the affidavit, and members are in the process of reviewing it.
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In a statement to Fox News, Pete Hegseth’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore said, “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.
“After an acrimonious divorce, Ms. Dietrich has had an ax 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.”
Danielle Hegseth provided an anecdote in the document, recalling that Samantha once hid in a closet from her husband.
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But Danielle Hegseth added that she never witnessed any abuse herself, physical or sexual, from Pete against Samantha.
The affidavit provided additional anecdotes about Hegseth’s alleged heavy drinking, referring to several specific occasions, including one at a strip club.
In the document, Danielle Hegseth also said her former brother-in-law is not fit to be secretary of defense.
Jack Reed, D-R.I., the committee’s ranking member, said in a statement, “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. I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this affidavit confirms my fears.
“The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing. This behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense.”
Samantha Hegseth denied any physical abuse in a statement first reported by NBC News.
“There was no physical abuse in my marriage. 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,” she reportedly said.
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Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who is on the committee, told reporters, “This only confirms what we already know about Mr. Hegseth’s behavior and the way he has lived his life and the kinds of opinions that he had towards women.”
“So, we’ll let the Republicans make their own statement, but I think it just confirms we already know that he is absolutely 100% unqualified for this job, his disposition, his demeanor, the issues we have with sexual abuse, with financial mismanagement,” she said.
“I am telling you, there is a great deal in this affidavit, and, any part of which would disqualify a candidate to lead our military,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., another member of the committee, told reporters.
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However, Republicans on the committee aren’t necessarily going to be swayed by the allegations.
New Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., who also sits on the committee, wrote on X, “This is a desperate, last-minute attempt by Dems and the media to smear Pete Hegseth and tank his nomination. Pete’s ex-wife is on record saying the claims are false, but the media doesn’t care because it hurts a Republican. Nobody should fall for this.”
