In a sworn statement provided to senators, Pete Hegseth's former sister-in-law says he was so "abusive" toward his second wife that she feared for her safety. In the statement, Danielle Hegseth says her sister Samantha, who was married to Hegseth from 2010 to 2018, once hid in a closet to get away from him and had a "safe word/code word" she could use to let family members know she needed help, the New York Times reports. She says the escape plan was activated once, "sometime in 2015-2016." Danielle Hegseth, who was married to Hegseth's brother Nate from 2011 to 2019, says she witnessed "erratic and aggressive" behavior from Hegseth, including multiple incidents of alcohol abuse, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The statement was provided in response to a request from Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Days before Hegseth's confirmation hearing, Reed said the FBI background check process set up by Trump's transition team had been "woefully inadequate," per NBC News. "The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing," Reed said Tuesday. "This behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense." Hegseth lawyer Tim Parlatore described Danielle Hegseth as "an anti-Trump far-left Democrat" with "an ax to grind" against the family.
Asked about the affidavit by NBC News, Samantha Hegseth said, "I have not and will not comment on my marriage to Pete Hegseth." She said she did not believe the information to be inaccurate. "There was no physical abuse in my marriage," she said. In the affidavit, Daneille Hegseth said she was coming forward "at significant personal sacrifice, because I am deeply concerned by what Hegseth's confirmation would mean for our military and our country." The Senate panel voted 14-13 along party lines Monday to advance his nomination. A full Senate vote is expected later this week. (More Pete Hegseth stories.)
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