Allegations of abuse have surfaced against Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, as his former sister-in-law provided an affidavit to the Senate Armed Services Committee. The affidavit accuses Hegseth of being 'abusive' towards his second ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, although it does not specify the nature of the abuse.
Danielle Hegseth, who was married to Hegseth's brother from 2011 to 2019, stated in the affidavit that Samantha Hegseth had at times feared for her safety and had a code word to signal for help to get away from her husband. While she did not personally witness physical or sexual abuse by Hegseth, she did mention instances of him abusing alcohol at family gatherings.
