Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth’s Ex-Wife ‘Feared For Her Life,’ Ex Sister-In-Law Says In Sworn Affidavit

An unredacted affidavit from Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law revealed to senators on Tuesday that the defense secretary nominee’s past behavior made his ex-wife “fear for her safety.” This information comes eight days after Hegseth’s confirmation hearing.

During the hearing, Hegseth denied allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse from his past.

The allegations by former sister-in-law Danielle Hegseth were not disclosed by the Trump transition team from the FBI’s background check before his confirmation hearing. Danielle Hegseth wrote in the affidavit that she had two conversations with the FBI – one in December 2024, during which the details were not relayed to the Senate Armed Services Committee, and one on Jan. 18 after the confirmation hearing earlier in the week.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) sent a request to Danielle Hegseth asking if she believed Hegseth was fit for the position, to which she responded in the affidavit that it is her “personal opinion that Hegseth is unfit for the position of secretary of defense.”

Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, told NBC that Hegseth’s ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, has “never alleged that there was any abuse; she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview.”

Samantha Hegseth told NBC News, “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.”  

While Danielle Hegseth did “not personally witness physical or sexual abuse by Hegseth,” she made allegations about his tendency to abuse alcohol in a family setting.

Parlatore responded to the allegations, calling it “hate” and claiming that Danielle Hegseth did not witness “most” of what she said.

All senators have been given access to a copy of the unredacted affidavit, and the original document was viewed by more than 20 senators, both Republicans and Democrats. An unreported allegation in the affidavit reads, “As I told the FBI, Samantha once told me that Hegseth grabbed her groin without consent at their home. Samantha told me about this sometime during the years between 2014-2016.” She notes that she did not witness the event but believes it to be true because it aligns with Hegseth’s “erratic and aggressive behavior” that she observed over “many years.”

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet
• Submit to Reddit
• Submit to Threads
• Submit to Pinterest
• Share to Pocket

Article by Angie Schlager