Trump's pick to lead Defence Department accused of sexual assault in 2017

Pete Hegseth, a popular Fox News host who is Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Defence, was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking appearance at a Republican women's event in Monterey, California, according to a statement released by the city. No charges were filed in the case.Hegseth's attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press the allegations were completely false.This was investigated by the police at the time and they found no evidence, Parlatore said.Monterey City officials declined to release a police report that documented the accusations and instead issued a brief statement Thursday night in response to press inquiries.According to that statement, Monterey Police were contacted in October 2017 to investigate a sexual assault that allegedly took place several days earlier at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey and involved Hegseth.The person who reported the assault - whose name, age and sex were not released - had bruises on the