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Senate Democrats are sounding the alarm over an affidavit from Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s ex-sister-in-law accusing him of abusing his second wife.
The document emerged Tuesday, a day after the Senate Armed Services Committee advanced Hegseth’s nomination on a party-line vote and as Senate Republicans push to complete his confirmation in the coming days.
Danielle Hegseth, who was married to Pete Hegseth’s brother, detailed the claims in a six-page statement that said Samantha Hegseth, the Defense Secretary nominee’s second wife, had to hide in a closet out of fear and devised a plan to deploy it. if he ever needed to run away.
He also mentioned multiple instances of alcohol abuse over many years.
“I believe Hegseth to be an erratic and volatile person with an alcohol abuse problem,” he wrote, according to a redacted version seen by The Hill. “I don’t think he is trustworthy or of good character. I believe he is unfit to serve as Secretary of Defense.”
Samantha Hegseth denied the allegations in one email to NBC News.
“First, I have not and will not comment on my marriage to Pete Hegseth. I have no representatives to speak on my behalf, nor have I ever asked anyone to share or speak about the details of my marriage on my behalf, either a reporter, a committee member, a transition team member, etc,” he wrote. .
She added: “I don’t think your information is accurate and I have consulted my lawyer.”
But the eleventh-hour revelations caused growing anxiety for Democrats who already distrusted Pete Hegseth and doubted his ability to lead the massive agency.
“It means we don’t have to rush it,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Armed Services panel. “It doesn’t need to be done in the next two days. This shouldn’t be rushed because I think the allegations raise other issues.”
Shortly after NBC News reported on Danielle Hegseth’s statement, Senate Democrats on the committee individually saw the unredacted version of the affidavit and came away upset and worried that the news was too late to stop the nomination.
“The report that has come to light is completely consistent with everything we’ve already learned about Pete Hegseth,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said, pointing to what she said was the public drunkenness of Hegseth, the “improper conduct” of someone wearing a military uniform and his attitudes towards women.
Republicans have decried the anonymous reports surrounding Hegseth’s nomination, including those related to a 2017 sexual assault allegation unknown to President Trump’s transition team at the time of Hegseth’s nomination. Hegseth has denied wrongdoing.
However, Democrats were quick to note that the ex-sister-in-law didn’t just put her name on the affidavit, she swore an oath under penalty of perjury.
Warren noted that there were no Republican members of the panel in the room to examine the affidavit, and reporters present did not see any GOP lawmakers enter the Senate Armed Services Committee chamber to do so.
Danielle Hegseth wrote in her deposition that she spoke about the Pentagon nominee during an interview with the FBI in December and that she reiterated those comments to the Armed Services Committee after the bureau refused to give her any transcripts of the your interview
He said it was unclear whether any of his comments made it into the FBI report on the Fox News host’s panel, a fact that also worried Democrats.
“It’s clear that the FBI has not followed the leads they’ve been given and rushed into a report that is incomplete,” Warren said.
Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer for the Pentagon nominee, dismissed the allegations and said Danielle Hegseth has an “axe to grind.”
“Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse, and recently reaffirmed as much during his interview with the FBI. Late claims by Danielle Dietrich, D- far left anti-Trump who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that,” he said in a statement to NBC news.
“After an acrimonious divorce, Ms. Dietrich has had an ax to grind against the entire Hegseth family,” he added. “Ms. Dietrich admits she saw nothing, but is now falsely accusing Sam of lying to both the Court and the FBI because of private, undocumented statements she allegedly made 10 years ago.”
Democrats declined to disclose what was in the unredacted version, including whether it contained a second allegation of sexual assault.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the panel, told reporters the unredacted report was “even more powerful,” but declined to elaborate.
What was unclear, however, is whether the development will change any votes on the Republican side or affect his confirmation process. Hegseth can lose up to three members and still cross the finish line to become secretary.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R ), who was selected to lead the Department of National Security. .
Senate Democrats are expected to force a series of procedural votes in order to stop the eventual confirmation, a Senate Democratic aide told The Hill.
But barring any last-minute change of heart by a requisite number of GOP members, Democrats are worried this news won’t change the bottom line.
“Yeah, I think it would have been helpful to have had it sooner,” Warren said when asked if she wished Danielle Hegseth had gone public before Tuesday.
“What I read in this affidavit reinforces the idea that Pete Hegseth is not only unqualified to be Secretary of Defense, he is truly a danger,” he added.
