Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday said former Fox News host and defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth would soon release a woman who accused him of sexual assault from a nondisclosure agreement.
“He told me he would release her from that agreement,” Graham said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I mean, just think about what we’re talking about,” he went on. “I’d want to know if anybody nominated for a high-level job in Washington legitimately assaulted somebody.”
Hegseth, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump last month, has been dogged by a series of shocking allegations about his behavior. An unidentified woman filed a police report after she claimed Hegseth assaulted her at a Republican conference in California in 2017. Hegseth has emphasized that no charges were filed in the matter, and maintained that he and the woman had a consensual encounter.
He paid the woman an undisclosed sum in a 2023 settlement that included a nondisclosure clause. Tim Parlatore, a lawyer for Hegseth, claimed earlier this month that he believed the woman had already broken the agreement, and said he’d warned the woman’s lawyer directly about potential defamation lawsuits.
“I suspect that she’s not going to come forward at all,” Parlatore said, according to The New York Times. “There’s no benefit. It’s all downside.”
Parlatore left Trump’s legal team in May 2023 due to internal disagreements.
Other reports included claims that Hegseth was forced to resign from two veteran groups amid allegations of financial mismanagement. Another report included accounts claiming he regularly showed up to work at Fox News smelling like alcohol.
Representatives for Hegseth have denied the reports. Hegseth himself said he would give up alcohol if he is confirmed to lead the Defense Department.
“I’m not going to have a drink at all. It’s not hard for me, because it’s not a problem for me,” he said earlier this month on “The Megyn Kelly Show.”
Graham said Sunday he was “in a good place with Pete” despite those accounts, “unless something I don’t know about comes out.”
“These allegations are disturbing, but they’re anonymous,” the senator said. “He’s given me his side of the story. It makes sense to me. I believe him. Unless somebody is willing to come forward, I think he’s going to get through.”
“Remember [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh?” Graham went on. “Five people accused Justice Kavanaugh of misconduct. Three were outright lies. The other two, I think, were not credible.”
Earlier this month, Trump was reportedly considering possible alternatives for Hegseth, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
Liza Hearon contributed to this article.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.