BREAKING NEWSTrumps defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth breaks silence on sex assault allegations

Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary Pete Hegseth has broken his silence on sordid sexual assault claims in a police report released on Wednesday night. 

As far as the media is concerned, the matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, he told reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

Thats where Im gonna leave it, he said before walking away before meeting with more Republican senators who will vote on his nomination.

Hegseth, a decorated veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who won two Bronze Stars, is a controversial pick to lead the Defense Department.

Many have questioned whether the 44-year-old former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekends can handle managing the Pentagon with an over $800 billion budget. 

But Trump has confidence in Hegseth, who hes called a courageous and patriotic, and current service members have told DailyMail.com they think his leadership will be a welcome change at the sprawling agency. 

Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary Pete Hegseth has broken his silence on sordid sexual assault claims in a police report released on Wednesday night

Hegseth is also facing an uphill confirmation battle after it came to light that he was investigated for an alleged sexual assault in 2017 - but no charges were filed.

His lawyer admitted that Hegseth paid off the woman involved in exchange for her silence and shocking new details about the incident have emerged in a scathing police report.

Hegseth himself has admitted to Republicans this week that he is facing a battle that is just beginning, and hes relying on prayer to help get him through the attacks and onslaughts. 

Top Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming met with Hegseth Thursday morning, calling him a strong nominee. 

Hagerty said he had an outstanding meeting with Hegseth and Vance on Thursday

Top Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming met with Hegseth Thursday morning, calling him a strong nominee

Hegseth and his wife Jennifer have been married since 2017

We had an excellent discussion about the need for Americas military to remain the best in the world, he said in a statement to DailyMail.com. 

That means taking care of our service members, equipping them with the latest technology, and focusing on making our military the most lethal force on the planet. Pete pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power – not the current administrations woke political agenda.

National security nominations have a history of quick confirmations in the Senate. I look forward to Petes hearing and a vote on the floor in January.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said he had an outstanding meeting with Hegseth and Vance on Thursday.

Pete knows that the Defense Secretarys job is to empower the men and women of our military to carry out their patriotic duty, not consign them to serve as political pawns in a broken Washington.

He told reporters afterward: Im saddened by the attacks coming Petes way.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., was asked by the press about the allegations into Hegseth, which he brushed off.

Wicker said hes focused on discussing military readiness instead.

Hegseth will need a majority of the GOP-led Senate to succeed in a confirmation vote.  

The alleged incident at the center of Hegseths controversy took place in the early morning hours of Oct. 8, 2017, at the address of the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa in Monterey, California, the city said in a statement.

The police department investigated an alleged sexual assault involving Hegseth, a former Fox New host and Army National Guard veteran, that was reported four days later, according to the statement.

No weapons were involved, according to the statement, but there were injuries – contusions to right thigh.

No further details were released and the city said it would not release the full police report, noting it was exempt from public disclosure. The statement did not say what happened to the investigation.

Barrasso: National security nominations have a history of quick confirmations in the Senate. I look forward to Petes hearing and a vote on the floor in January

Hegseth himself has admitted to Republicans this week that he is facing a battle that is just beginning

Hegseth, who was divorced from his second wife at the time of the alleged incident, has not been charged in any criminal case or named as a defendant in any civil lawsuit.

Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer representing Hegseth, told news outlets: This statement confirms that although an allegation was made, it was fully investigated and no charges were filed.

He also admitted to the Washington Post that his client paid the woman for her silence. 

He said Hegseth paid her an undisclosed amount because he feared the allegation getting out would result in his immediate termination from Fox.

Parlatore said Hegseth was drunk and claimed the woman was the aggressor in the encounter, which police did not agree with.

And President-elect Trump is standing by his nominee, his staff said.

Hegseth and his wife Jennifer 

President-elect Trump is standing by his nominee, his staff said

Hegseth stepped down from his Fox News duties during the confirmation process

Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed, Trump communications director Steven Cheung has said.

We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.

A complaint from an unnamed woman with extensive knowledge of the alleged rape sent to Trumps staff explained the story police were told at the time.

Hegseth was a speaker at the California Federation of Republican Women conference at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa the day of the alleged rape.

Hegseth is a 44-year-old former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekends

Hegseth was a speaker at the California Federation of Republican Women conference at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa the day of the alleged rape

He joined other guests at the hotel bar afterwards along with the woman, who was staying at the hotel with her husband and young children.

Part of her job for the conference was to make sure Hegseth got out of bed the next morning in time to catch his flight home.

At some point that night, she got texts from two women at the bar saying Hegseth was getting pushy about his interest in taking them upstairs to his room, it was claimed.

She allegedly came over and talked to them, and when they left she remembered sensing that Hegseth was irritated.