Hegseth Paid Woman Who Accused Him of Rape $50,000, Senator Says

Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, admitted to paying $50,000 as part of a legal settlement with a woman who accused him of raping her in 2017, according to Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Ms. Warren, a Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, posted a document on the social media platform X on Thursday, which her spokeswoman said Friday was included in Mr. Hegseth’s answers to the senator’s written questions. The settlement’s existence had been documented before his confirmation hearing this month, but the amount had not been known publicly. The Associated Press reported earlier on the disclosure.

“Mr. Hegseth, how much did you pay ‘Jane Doe’ as part of any non-disclosure agreement or other agreement related to this incident?” the document says. The answer: “$50,000.”

Ms. Warren wrote in the post: “We can’t rush his vote and trust him with our national security.”

Mr. Hegseth has said that the rape accusation was false and that he agreed to pay the woman to protect his job as a Fox News anchor, his family and his marriage to his third wife. The police investigated the allegation and referred the case to county prosecutors, who declined to file charges.

The Senate is expected to vote on Mr. Hegseth’s nomination on Friday evening. On Thursday, the senators voted 51-49 to advance his nomination to a final vote. The vote was largely along party lines, but two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined with Democrats in voting against the advancement.

Besides the rape allegation, Mr. Hegseth has been accused of years of alcohol abuse, which he has also denied. A former sister-in-law has also accused him of “abusive” behavior toward his second wife, who has denied any physical abuse.

Republican senators have acknowledged that Mr. Hegseth is an unconventional pick to lead the Defense Department but say that he is qualified for the post.