President Donald Trump Defense Secretary-elect Pete Hegseth retracts his ex-sister-in-law’s last-minute statement with new allegations.
Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy C. Parlatore, wrote to Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., on Wednesday to deny the claims created by Danielle Dietrichex Hegseth, in his affidavit.
“While it is difficult to respond to or believe anonymous allegations, the benefit of someone putting their name on the record is that we can examine their credibility and bias. In this case, credibility and bias are easy to see,” he said in the correspondence, which was acquired by Fox News Digital.
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Pete Hegseth’s lawyer is urging senators not to rely on the statement of his brother’s ex-wife. (Reuters)
Fox News obtained Dietrich’s affidavit on Tuesday. Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, once married to his brother, claims that Hegseth had a problem with alcohol abuse and that it sometimes made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety.
She cited numerous anecdotes in the statement, including an incident where Samantha allegedly hid in a closet from her husband.
However, Dietrich noted that she herself never witnessed any abuse, physical or sexual, from Pete against Samantha.
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The statement also referred to anecdotes about Hegseth’s alleged heavy drinking, citing several specific occasions, including one at a strip club.
After the report was published, Sen. Jack ReedDR.I., a senior board 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 require an exhaustive background investigation. I was concerned that the process background checks were inadequate, and this statement confirms my fears.
“The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing. This kind of behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as Secretary of Defense.”
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Hegseth had a committee hearing last week. (Anna Moneymaker)
In the document, Dietrich went on to suggest that her former brother-in-law was not fit to be defense minister.
“She openly admits that her goal is to sink the nomination and was promised by Democrats that such a statement would have that effect,” Parlatore said in his letter to Wicker.
He pointed out that the “vast majority” of what Dietrich talked about were events she admitted she did not witness. “She significantly contradicts Sam’s affidavits in the divorce proceedings where he admits there was no abuse,” Hegseth’s lawyer added.
Parlatore also pointed out that her claims “inadvertently” accuse Samantha of lying during the FBI’s background check of Hegseth.
“It is important to note that Ms. Dietrich told all of this to the FBI on December 30, 2024, but the FBI failed to corroborate her claims, which were then flatly refuted by Sam, the actual participant,” he said.
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Scott harshly criticized Democrats for obstructing the confirmation process. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“There is no basis to give credit to this deeply flawed and questionable affidavit, which was submitted at the 11th hour in a clear and admittedly partisan attempt to derail Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation,” the letter concluded.
While Democrats quickly argued that the affidavit confirmed Hegseth was unfit for the role, Republicans criticized them for seeking to obstruct the confirmation process.
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“They’re just Democrats, obstructionists,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters.
“They’re just trying to make sure that Trump doesn’t put together his administration team. That’s not good for the American public. President Trump won the election. If he won the election by [a] significant margin, they should stop being obstructionists,” he continued.
