Affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law makes new allegations about his behavior: NPR

Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, appears during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14.

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Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, had an alcohol abuse problem and his behavior made his second wife, Samantha, fear for her safety, his former sister-in-law told Senate lawmakers in a sworn statement.

NPR obtained the statement from multiple sources familiar with the matter who were unable to share the statement publicly.

Danielle Hegseth, Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, submitted the affidavit in response to a letter from Sen. Jack Reed, DR.I., seeking her “personal knowledge of Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to fill this important position.” In the sworn statement, Danielle Hegseth says it is her “personal opinion that Hegseth is unfit for the position of Secretary of Defense.”

In an email to NBC News, who first reported the story, Samantha Hegseth said: “First of all, I have not and will not comment on my marriage to Pete Hegseth. I do not have representatives speaking on my behalf, nor have I ever asked anyone to share or talk about the details of my marriage on on my behalf, whether as a reporter, a committee member, a transition team member, etc.”

An attorney for Pete Hegseth denied the allegations to NBC.

“Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently confirmed the same during her FBI interview,” the attorney, Tim Parlatore, told NBC.

NPR has sought comment from Hegseth.

Several Republican senators, including Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, told NPR that Mr. Hegseth’s ex-wife denied allegations of abuse.

Nevertheless, the panel’s top Democrat said the statement should give the Senate pause.

“As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse and public misconduct require a thorough background investigation,” Reed, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “I have been concerned that the background check has been inadequate, and this sworn statement confirms that fact.”

Several Republican senators denied the accusations Tuesday night, pointing out that the statement on the record comes after the public hearing on Hegseth’s nomination and suggests that it is part of the political campaign on the eve of the Senate vote to confirm Hegseth. Many others said they had not seen the document.

Wicker said he expects Hegseth’s nomination to proceed.

“I think she has an ax to grind,” Wicker said when asked about Danielle Hegseth’s decision to file the statement.

Late. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., one of the top GOP leaders in the Senate, said he does not believe Hegseth’s outlook has changed.

“It looks like a desperate ploy by Democrats being driven by the far left because they know we have the votes to confirm him,” Barrasso said at the Capitol.

Hegseth’s nomination was voted out of committee Monday in a 14-13 party-line vote. The full Senate voted to begin consideration of his nomination Tuesday after the statement became public.

In the affidavit, Danielle Hegseth states that she personally witnessed Hegseth drunk and that in 2009 he “drunkenly shouted in my face”.

She also says her former sister-in-law “feared for her personal safety” during her marriage and that she had a plan to “text me a safe word/password” that meant she wanted someone to fly to Minnesota to help her.

In the document, she explains that she has decided to come forward “because I am deeply concerned about what Hegseth’s confirmation would mean for our military and our country, and because I have been assured that this public statement will ensure that certain senators who are still on the fence will vote against Hegseth’s nomination.’

The development fits into a broader series of allegations that have dogged Hegseth since Trump nominated him to be defense secretary. Democrats have raised concerns about allegations of alcohol abuse. Former employees of Concerned Veterans for America, which Hegseth led, have made allegations of him drinking on the job, fiscal mismanagement and inappropriate behavior with staff. Former colleagues at Fox News have also alleged that Hegseth acted inappropriately when he was drinking. Hegseth has repeatedly referred to allegations against him – including sexual assault – as part of a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.”