Senators learn new allegations about Hegseth in affidavit by former sister-in-law

Washington — The former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee to become secretary of defense, told senators in a sworn affidavit that he caused his second wife to fear for her personal safety and abused alcohol over the course of many years.

In the affidavit to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that was obtained by CBS News, Danielle Hegseth said she was married to Pete Hegseth’s brother from 2011 to 2019. She recounted what she had told FBI agents who conducted a background check into Hegseth as part of the nomination process. She wrote that her statement came in response to a letter from Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee.

NBC News first reported on the document. Tim Parlatore, an attorney for Hegseth, denied the allegations, calling Danielle Hegseth an “anti-Trump far left Democrat.”

In the affidavit, she wrote that Samantha Hegseth, Pete Hegseth’s second and now ex-wife, had told her that she once hid in the closet from Hegseth for fear of her safety, an incident she said occurred between the years of 2014 and 2016. She noted the anecdote was consistent with what she observed of Hegseth’s behavior over a number of years. 

Hegseth’s former sister-in-law also alleged that his ex-wife had a plan that she would use if she needed to get away from her husband. The plan involved Samantha Hegseth texting a safe word to Danielle Hegseth, who would then call a friend who could help her. Danielle Hegseth wrote that she received a text with the safe word and called the friend once between 2015 and 2016. Pete and Samantha Hegseth were married from 2010 to 2018.

Danielle Hegseth acknowledged that she did not personally witness abuse and noted that what she knows of the situation she heard from Hegseth’s ex-wife. 

She claimed that Hegseth had drunkenly yelled at her and had to be pulled away during a 2009 incident, and that she personally witnessed Hegseth abusing alcohol on multiple occasions. She said Hegseth would drink to the point of passing out at family events, described one evening where she said he was dragged out of a bar, and another where she said he passed out in a bar bathroom, among other incidents. 

The affidavit was signed Tuesday in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Hegseth’s former sister-in-law noted in the affidavit that her statement repeats what she told the FBI.

Danielle Hegseth said she was providing the response because she does not think her former brother-in-law is fit to serve as defense secretary. She encouraged the Senate to consider the affidavit in its vote on Hegseth’s nomination, which advanced out of committee on Monday.

Parlatore, Hegseth’s attorney, denied the allegations in a statement, saying that Hegseth’s ex-wife “has never alleged that there was any abuse.” He said Samantha Hegseth signed court documents to that effect and reaffirmed that there was no abuse during her FBI interview. 

“Belated claims by Danielle Dietrich, an anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that,” Parlatore said. “After an acrimonious divorce, Ms. Dietrich has had an axe to grind against the entire Hegseth family.” 

Samantha Hegseth could not immediately be reached for comment, but told NBC News in an email that “I do not believe your information to be accurate” and declined to speak about her marriage to Hegseth. 

Hegseth appeared before the Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing last week and fielded tough questions from Democrats over his views on women in the military and an allegation of sexual assault, which he also denied.

Hegseth faced intense scrutiny over reports about his background, and for weeks was considered to have the steepest path to confirmation out of  Mr. Trump’s Cabinet nominees. But Republican senators on the Armed Services Committee defended his nomination during the hearing, after which one key member, Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, made her support for Hegseth’s confirmation known. 

contributed to this report.