Trump has indicated that the revelations about the accuser and payment have not deterred him from Hegseth's selection as defense secretary.

New details emerged over the weekend about a 2017 sexual assault allegation against President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, Fox News host Pete Hegseth—and while Hegseth has admitted through his lawyer to paying his accuser in a settlement, he vehemently denies the allegations, and Trump is reportedly standing by him.

Hegseth has maintained that a 2017 encounter was consensual but paid the unnamed woman as part of a nondisclosure agreement.