Media outlets are zeroing in on sexual assault allegations against Pete Hegseth, Trump’s top defense nominee
Eyewitness accounts largely corroborate Hegseth’s version of events, though the media left out nearly every exonerating detail
This follows patterns of selective reporting, including omissions in past cases like Tara Reade’s and Doug Emhoff’s ex-girlfriend's allegations
The story
In October 2017, Pete Hegseth, then a Fox News host and now Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, attended a Republican women’s conference in Monterey, California.
One night during the event, Hegseth was seen at a hotel bar socializing with attendees, including one woman, referred to as Jane Doe. A romantic encounter that followed is now all over the news because of her accusation that Hegseth sexually assaulted her.
Security footage showed Jane Doe walking arm-in-arm with Hegseth, smiling as he whispered in her ear. Witnesses reported that Jane Doe appeared sober, though she later reported to police that events started to become “fuzzy” later in the evening. The two were seen leaving the bar together, and both admitted to later having sexual intercourse in Hegseth’s hotel room. According to Hegseth, the encounter was consensual.
However, four days later, Jane Doe went to a hospital and told medical staff she believed she had been sexually assaulted by Hegseth. She claimed the memory of the incident surfaced during intercourse with her husband, which she described as a "trigger." The hospital staff reported her claim to the police, who launched an investigation.
Surveillance footage and evidence from the bar and hotel corroborated much of Hegseth’s account. Notably, a witness who was with Jane Doe at the bar reported that Jane Doe had actively inserted herself between Hegseth and another woman to steal his attention.
Eyewitnesses from the hotel, including hotel staff, reported that while Hegseth appeared drunk, Jane Doe did not — even though, as later became clear, Doe implied to police that Hegseth had slipped her a date rape drug like Rohypnol. Even 30 minutes before the alleged assault, every witness identified Doe as appearing sober and lucid.
During his interview with investigators, he revealed Jane Doe felt guilty after their encounter, and, according to Hegseth, they agreed she would tell her husband she had fallen asleep on a couch in someone else’s room.
In a separate interview, Jane Doe’s husband stated that when she returned to their hotel room at 4 am — just 2 hours after the alleged assault — she “did not have a hard time walking and was not slurring her words.” This unprompted corroboration between Doe’s husband and Pete Hegseth cast significant doubt on her claim of being intoxicated or even possibly drugged — meaning Doe was likely sober during her sexual encounter.
The police ultimately referred the case to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, which chose not to press charges. The DA cited inconsistencies in Jane Doe’s account, corroborating evidence supporting Hegseth, and the lack of physical or circumstantial evidence suggesting rape.
The media’s failure
The coverage by the mainstream media of the incident near-universally painted Hegseth as the aggressor and omitted the crucial details that cast Jane Doe’s story into doubt.
Coverage omitted critical witness testimonies and the DA’s rationale for declining to prosecute. Instead, the narrative focused almost entirely on Jane Doe’s claims, leaving readers with an incomplete understanding of the case.
Outlets such as NPR, CBS News, the Associated Press, and ABC News never mention that witnesses, including Jane Dow’s own husband, never saw her appear intoxicated. Other publications that did (briefly) mention how she was seen to be sober still failed to acknowledge her husband’s testimony.
While many may see Hegseth’s affair with a married woman as immoral, the suggestion that Trump nominated a possible rapist to his cabinet is very likely false.
Why it matters
This selective reporting mirrors patterns seen in other high-profile cases. Coverage of sexual misconduct allegations against Joe Biden, like those of Tara Reade and other women, or the dismissal of assault claims from Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s ex-girlfriend, demonstrates their tendency to suppress or amplify stories based on political alignment.
Though Hegseth will undoubtedly be grilled on the incident during his Senate confirmation hearing, many Republicans have rallied behind him and are committed to securing his appointment as the next secretary of defense.
