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Attorney for Pete Hegsethelected president Donald TrumpHis choice for defense minister, he threatened the woman who accused Hegseth sexual assault with a charge of extortion if not confirmed for the vertex Pentagon spot.
Tim Parlatore claimed to be a woman on CNN she cannot be guilty of extortion in the criminal sense, but that she could be brought to court for civil extortion if a lawsuit were filed.
“It was something we thought about,” Parlatore told the network, referring to it by the time the plaintiff was due to file suit in 2020 before she was paid to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
“Frankly speaking, with the violation [nondisclosure] agreement, if he is not confirmed as defense secretary, we can still file a civil lawsuit against her for extortion,” the lawyer added.
A woman filed a police report alleging that Hegseth sexually assaulted her during the 2017 Republican Women’s Conference in Monterey, California, where he was the keynote speaker..
Hegseth insisted the encounter was consensual. Parlatore described his client as “visibly intoxicated” when the two of them met after his talk.
Charges were never filed in this case even though the woman believed she was probably drugged and raped. Hegseth paid a non-disclosure agreement with her later.
Parlatore told CNN that the woman’s false claim amounted to a “breach” of the agreement.
He added that if it “causes him to lose his future employment opportunities, then yes, that’s something worth pursuing.”
The woman could not be reached for comment on Parlatore’s threat.
Parlatore also noted that the non-disclosure agreement was “violated” and no longer in effect.
Hegseth has faced numerous allegations since leaving office Fox & Friends weekend host to become Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon. These include allegations of excessive drinking at work, including Fox Newsand while leading two different veteran groups. The New Yorker also reported on allegations of financial mismanagement, obvious alcohol abuseand inappropriate sexual behavior at the time.
His mother, Penelope Hegseth, sent an email to her son in 2018 accusing him of harassing women. She has since defended her son, including an appearance on Fox.
Hegseth has said he has no intention of withdrawing his name from consideration, and Trump has repeatedly supported his choiceurging him to continue even amid reports that the president-elect is considering replacing him.
Hegseth has been on Capitol Hill this week trying to drum up support from Republican senators, some of whom remain skeptical.