Trump’s nominee for defense chief was involved in 2017 sexual assault investigation — CNN

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense Pete Hegseth was involved in a police investigation into sexual assault allegations in 2017, CNN reports.

According to the report, Hegseth was involved in an investigation into an alleged assault that took place in October 2017, in a hotel in Monterey, California during a conference run by the California Federation of Republican Women.

Hegseth, a Fox News host and Minnesota National Guard veteran, was a speaker at the conference.

CNN reports that police did not specify Hegseth as an alleged assailant but said that he was involved in the investigation. It adds that the Monterey police department said it would not release the full police report or provide further comments on the investigation in accordance with California’s public records law.

Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung told CNN in response that Hegseth “has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed.”

The report about Hegseth comes after Trump’s pick for attorney general, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, has caused controversy due to an investigation into Gaetz on allegations of child sex trafficking.