The former sister of Pete Hegseth presented a sworn statement to members of Parliament on Tuesday accusing Mr. Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, for “abusing” his second wife to the point where she once hid in a closet. to him and he had a safe voice to call for help if he needed to run to him.
In the Capitol Hill office on Tuesday afternoon, the senators were considering an affidavit from Danielle Diettrich Hegseth, the ex-wife of Mr. According to a copy obtained by the Times, it also says that he often drank excessively in public and in private, including one incident he witnessed while wearing his military uniform.
These allegations, Mr. Hegseth’s denials through his attorney came as Republicans tried to rush him for confirmation, and that could jeopardize that. A number of Republicans who have learned of the allegations in recent days have privately expressed serious concern about them, according to people familiar with the discussions, suggesting the new information could erode the support needed for Senate confirmation.
In her sworn statement, previously reported by NBC News, Danielle Hegseth said she spoke to the FBI about Pete Hegseth, and went public with Congress in hopes that her account would persuade enough Republicans to impeach him. He said he was posting his account at the request of Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
“I am assured that making this statement public will ensure that certain senators who are still on the phone will vote against Hegseth’s confirmation,” he wrote.
Mr. Reed said the account described inappropriate behavior, and “confirmed my fear” that an FBI background check on Mr. Hegseth was not perfect.
“The nature of Mr. Hegseth’s alleged abuse and misconduct is disturbing,” he said. “This behavior would make any service member unfit to hold any leadership position in the military, let alone be confirmed as secretary of defense.”
In an affidavit, sent Tuesday to the Army, Danielle Hegseth wrote that the second wife of Mr. Hegseth, Samantha Hegseth, “once hid in her room from Hegseth because she feared for her safety.”
She also said that Samantha Hegseth had given her a code name, which she shared with Danielle and one other person, to use if she needed help. According to the affidavit, Samantha Hegseth texted Danielle Hegseth with a code name once in 2015 or 2016, and Danielle contacted someone else to set up the program.
Mrs. Hegseth said he “did not personally witness physical or sexual abuse by Hegseth,” but he did see what he described as “unusual and aggressive behavior” years ago. He also recounted many incidents in 2008 or 2009 and in 2013 where he saw Mr. Hegseth was drunk until he passed out.
These new allegations are strikingly similar to a number of allegations that have surfaced since Mr. Trump nominated him to lead the Pentagon, which Mr. Hegseth denied and even dismissed as politically motivated intimidation.
Tim Parlatore, the lawyer of Mr. Hegseth, denied the charges against Danielle Hegseth in a statement.
“Sam never suspected that there was abuse, he signed court documents admitting that there was no abuse and he recently confirmed the same during his interview with the FBI,” said Mr. Parlatore, accusing Danielle Hegseth of being a “far-left anti-Trump Democrat” who “had an ax to grind on the entire Hegseth family.”
Samantha Hegseth could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
In a 2021 order, regarding the appointment of a co-parenting consultant, a Minnesota family court judge said neither of the Hegseths claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. The judge also said that there was no court ruling that there was reason to believe that the other parent “has been physically abused or threatened with physical abuse by the other parent.” The Hegseths share custody of their three children.
It is not clear whether the new allegations will try to dissuade any Republican members from opposing Mr. Hegseth, whose appointment was approved behind closed doors on Monday by party order. He can only lose three votes to the GOP as Democrats have signaled they are ready to vote against him in large numbers. At the moment, it is his sister’s voice against Mr. Hegseth, as the corroborating witness – possibly Samantha Hegseth – has not come forward.
The appointment of Mr. Hegseth was already rife with allegations of sexual abuse, as well as allegations of public drunkenness and financial mismanagement. He paid the woman who accused him of rape in 2017. The woman denied it and was not charged.
Danielle Hegseth’s sworn statement is the first time that the former family member of Mr. Hegseth has publicly explained his behavior which they say makes him unfit to lead the Pentagon. The mother of Mr. Hegseth said in a 2018 email that he had mistreated women for years, but has since dismissed those feelings.
Samantha Hegseth treated Danielle Hegseth as a confidant, according to people familiar with their relationship. Married to Pete Hegseth’s brother Nathaniel from 2011 to 2019; Samantha and Pete Hegseth were married from 2010 to 2018.
During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Hegseth has categorically denied that he harmed any of his ex-wives.
“Have you ever committed any acts of physical violence against any of your wives?” Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, asked Mr. Hegseth during his confirmation hearing last week.
“A member of the Senate, it is not,” replied Mr. Hegseth. When he was asked twice whether physical violence against a spouse should disqualify the nominee, he denied it, reasserted his innocence and called the question of Mr. Kaine as a consideration.
Mr. Hegseth described the other allegations as “anonymous smears.” Although he did not admit to any bad behavior, he spoke emphatically about being a changed man.
“I am not a perfect person, but redemption is true,” he told the members of Parliament. He also praised his current wife, Jennifer Rauchet, for “changing my life.”
Many of the allegations in Danielle Hegseth’s affidavit detail Mr. Hegseth, and in others, he said, made racial statements that he found offensive.
“He yelled at me drunk one night in 2009,” she wrote, recalling that Mr. Hegseth was upset after he left the room when he told a story that “had prejudice that bothered me.”
“He was very aggressive, in my face, wearing his military uniform,” he added.
Maya C. Miller reporting contributed. Kitty Bennett again Julie Tate research contributed.
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