The woman at the center of the 2017 encounter told police that Hegseth blocked her from leaving the hotel room and assaulted her despite saying no.

Former Navy pilot, federal prosecutor, and candidate for New Jersey governor, Rep. Mikie Sherrill reacts to recent reporting of sexual assault allegations against Trump defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth and his comments that women should not serve in combat roles in the military.

Megyn Kelly has spoken out in light of sexual assault allegations levelled against President-elect Donald Trump's defence pick Pete Hegseth.

The Fox News host and the woman who accused him of sexual assault were in Monterey for the 2017 California Federation of Republican Women biennial conference

In yet another example of the transition team being blindsided by claims about Hegseth, members of the team were reportedly startled to see a California police report go public on Wednesday, detailing the 2017 night on which Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman.

A recently released police report from the 2017 incident revealed that the woman, who has not been identified, told police that Hegseth blocked the door to stop her from leaving his hotel room and took her phone away before sexually assaulting her.