‘Unfit’ Drunk Hegseth Got Lap Dances in Uniform: Ex-Relative

Pete Hegseth.
Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty

The thrice-married Pete Hegseth was accused Tuesday of receiving a lap dance while in his military uniform more than two decades ago.

The allegation against Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon was one of many levied by his former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, in an affidavit shared with senators and obtained by the Daily Beast.

Danielle, who is divorced from Hegseth’s brother, claims the former Fox News star was in uniform at a strip joint in Minneapolis while in town for a National Guard drill in 2009. She was not personally present that night, but claims she was told he drunkenly left a bar and was found at a nearby gentlemen’s club that he ultimately had to be dragged out of.

The affidavit mentioned multiple other instances where Hegseth was allegedly intoxicated and included accusations that Samantha Deering, his second wife, feared for her life at points in their marriage.

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Danielle alleged that:

  • Deering said she once hid from Hegseth in her closet at home out of fear for her safety sometime between 2014 and 2016.

  • She also came up with a code word that she shared with Danielle and another individual. Under the safety plan, Deering would text a code word to Danielle when she felt that she needed to get away from Hegseth. Danielle would then inform the other person to fly out to Minnesota to help Deering. The code word was used at one point between 2015 and 2016, setting the plan in motion.

  • In 2009, a drunk Hegseth got aggressive and began yelling at Danielle when she walked away from him while he was telling a story that had racist undertones.

  • Hegseth made several rude or inappropriate comments about women’s looks and his sexual exploits, including declarations that women should not have the right to vote and that Christians should produce more children so they can overtake the Muslims.

  • In multiple incidents, Hegseth was intoxicated to the point of passing out at home or causing a scene at establishments. One time, he got dragged out of a bar and yelled “No means yes!” as he was being walked home by Danielle and others.

Danielle concluded her affidavit by acknowledging that she was at risk of perjury if she provided any false information.

NBC News first reported on Danielle Hegseth’s affidavit Tuesday. Deering, for her part, told the network: “There was no physical abuse in my marriage.” She added the network’s information was “not accurate.”

Tim Parlatore, a lawyer for Pete Hegseth, told the Daily Beast the strip club allegation was “totally false.”

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“The only truthful statements in this affidavit are that she was married to his brother and that she wants to tank his confirmation,” he said in an email.

Parlatore noted in a separate statement that Deering signed court documents that acknowledged “there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview.” He claimed that Danielle is speaking out because she does not agree with Hegseth’s politics and is hoping to thwart his Senate confirmation.

“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,” he said. “After an acrimonious divorce, Ms. Dietrich has had an axe to grind against the entire Hegseth family. Ms. Dietrich admits that she saw nothing but is now falsely accusing Sam of lying to both the Court and to the FBI because of private, undocumented statements that she allegedly made 10 years ago.”

Pete Hegseth, a U.S. Army veteran, is Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Pete Hegseth, a U.S. Army veteran, is Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

It is not the first time Hegseth has been linked to a strip club visit. A report in the New Yorker alleged last month that Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon once had to be “restrained” from “joining the dancers on the stage” of a Louisiana strip club in 2015, when he was married to Deering.

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Parlatore called the 2015 claims “outlandish,” telling the magazine to “get back to us when you try your first attempt at actual journalism.”

The affidavit is sure to cause Hegseth a headache. He, along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, are among the Trump Cabinet picks considered to not be a total guarantee for confirmation despite Republicans’ Senate majority.

Pete Hegseth has been accused by Democrats of being an alcoholic that is unfit to lead the nation’s military. / Andrew Harnik / Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Pete Hegseth has been accused by Democrats of being an alcoholic that is unfit to lead the nation’s military. / Andrew Harnik / Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Hegseth’s former sister-in-law submitted the affidavit after Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat, issued a letter that requested her knowledge of the former Fox News star’s “fitness to occupy this important position.”

Reed, of Rhode Island, issued a statement to the Daily Beast about the allegation, which he claims furthered his belief that Hegseth is not fit to lead the military and its nearly three million servicemembers.

“As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation,” he said. “I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this sworn affidavit confirms that fact.”

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He added, “The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing. This behavior would disqualify any servicemember from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.”

Hegseth’s nomination is scheduled for Thursday.