Senators on the Armed Service Committee received an affidavit Tuesday from the former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth, who said that the would-be defense secretary’s behavior caused his second wife to fear for her safety, NBC News reported.
Danielle Hegseth, the former sister-in-law who was previously married to Hegseth’s brother and kept the surname, submitted the affidavit in response to a letter from Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., seeking “a statement attesting to your personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to occupy this important position.” Hegseth has denied the allegation.
In a redacted copy of the affidavit reviewed by NBC News, Danielle Hegseth said that she had “chosen to come forward publicly, at significant personal sacrifice, because I am deeply concerned by what Hegseth’s confirmation would mean for our military and our country.”
Many of the descriptions she provided in the affidavit about Hegseth’s alleged volatile and threatening conduct against his former wife, Samantha Hegseth, were also relayed by her to the FBI shortly after his first confirmation hearing, in which he had to answer questions related to allegations of drunkenness and sexual assault.
Reed said in a statement Tuesday: “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 sworn affidavit confirms that fact.”
“The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing,” she added. “This behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense.”
When reached for comment by NBC News, Samantha Hegseth responded: “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.”
A lawyer for Pete Hegseth, Tim Parlatore, dismissed Danielle Hegseth as an “anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family” with an “axe to grind” and her affidavit as just another false accusation.
The Armed Services Committee voted Monday to advanced Hegseth’s nomination to a full Senate vote that is expected to take place as early as Thursday. The panel’s chair, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told NBC that he would not hold another hearing over allegations that are “anonymous, unsubstantiated and was contrary to some court documents that had been placed in the record at the hearing.”
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