In the letter obtained by the Washington Examiner, Hegseth’s attorney called the allegations from his former sister-in-law “deeply flawed and questionable” and urged the Senate to rely on prior court records when evaluating the new allegations.
“There is no basis to credit this deeply flawed and questionable affidavit, which was submitted at the 11th hour in a clear and admitted partisan attempt to derail Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation,” attorney Timothy Parlatore writes in the letter. “I would respectfully submit that you can rely upon the Minnesota Court records and the FBI’s findings to reject this perjurious affidavit and move forward to confirm Mr. Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.”
Parlatore highlights what he believes are the political motivations of Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, calling her “a lifelong Democrat” while also mentioning she “did not witness” the vast majority of the incidents in the affidavit.
The attorney refers to Danielle Hegseth, the former sister-in-law who was married to Hegseth’s brother and kept the surname, by her maiden name in his letter.
“A lifelong Democrat, Ms. Dietrich’s bias is manifested in her own admission that ‘been assured that making this public statement will ensure that certain Senators who are still on the fence will vote against Hegseth’s confirmation.’ She is openly admitting that her purpose is to sink the nomination and has been promised by Democrats that such a statement would have that effect,” Parlatore writes in the letter.
“The vast majority of what Ms. Dietrich claims are things that she admits that she did not witness. She materially contradicts Sam’s sworn statements in the divorce proceedings where she acknowledges that there was no abuse,” Parlatore added.
In the affidavit provided to members of the Senate panel on Tuesday, Danielle Hegseth outlined allegations that the defense secretary nominee engaged in threatening behavior that made his second wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. According to the affidavit obtained by the Washington Examiner, during the marriage, Samantha Hegseth developed plans with members of Hegseth’s family and mutual friends to help her escape “if she felt she needed to get away from Hegseth.”
Parlatore dismisses the allegations and mentions the committee also has separate affidavits from Pete Hegseth’s brothers denying the claims in Danielle Hegseth’s affidavit. He also mentions Samantha Hegseth’s response to NBC News, denying allegations of physical abuse.
“There was no physical abuse in my marriage. This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision,” she wrote in the statement.
Parlatore also mentions Danielle Hegseth is represented by a law firm that “has notable connections to the Democratic Party, as both the firm and its members have made significant contributions to Democratic candidates.”
Danielle Hegseth’s affidavit comes in response to a Jan. 18 letter from Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services panel, seeking “a statement attesting to your personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to occupy this important position.”
Reed said the affidavit represents “a disturbing pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth.”
“My number one priority is the safety and security of our nation. This has and must always include serious oversight of the U.S. military and its leaders,” Reed said in a statement on Wednesday.
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“The sworn affidavit from this courageous woman, provided at enormous personal risk and with nothing to gain, documents a disturbing pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth. This behavior would disqualify any servicemember from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense,” he added.
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted along party lines on Monday to move Pete Hegseth’s nomination to the full Senate. A vote on his nomination could come as early as Thursday. To be confirmed, Pete Hegseth needs a simple majority, which includes 51 of the Senate’s 53 Republicans.
