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Pete Hegseth's 'not a perfect person' comment came after fidelity question | Fact check
The claim: Pete Hegseth said ‘I’m not a perfect person’ in response to sexual assault question at confirmation hearing
A Jan. 14 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims to outline an exchange involving Pete Hegseth, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary.
“Did you sexually assault a woman?” reads text in the image, which is a screenshot of a Bluesky post. “Pete Hegseth: ‘I’m not a perfect person.’ Disqualifying.”
The Facebook post was shared more than 100 times in two days. Other versions of the claim spread widely on Facebook and X.
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Our rating: False
Hegseth made the remark after he was asked about his faithfulness in his marriages. He repeatedly described a sexual assault allegation against him as a false accusation.
Virginia senator pressed Hegseth on 2017 assault accusation
Trump picked Hegseth, an Army veteran and former Fox News host, to serve as secretary of defense in his second administration days after he won the 2024 election.
Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, though no criminal charges were filed, as USA TODAY reported. Hegseth told detectives the encounter was consensual, according to a police report, but his attorney said Hegseth nevertheless paid a settlement to the accuser.
While the matter was discussed during Hegseth’s Jan. 14 confirmation hearing, transcripts from various livestreams do not include the exchange in the Facebook post.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, raised the point that at the time of the alleged incident, Hegseth was married and had recently fathered a child with a woman who was not his wife. He proceeded to ask Hegseth whether he had pledged to be faithful in his marriages, to which Hegseth responded in part, “I’m not a perfect person, I’m not claiming to be.”
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Earlier in the hearing, Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii asked if Hegseth had ever committed “assault of a sexual nature,” which Hegseth denied. He repeatedly referred to the alleged 2017 incident as a false accusation, as reported by The 19th.
USA TODAY has debunked an array of false claims related to Trump’s second administration, including that Panama banned the Trump family from the country for 100 years, that an authentic image shows a Trump post saying he’ll ban pornography on the first day of his second term and that Panama doubled fees for U.S. warships to cross the Panama Canal.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources
Associated Press (YouTube), Jan. 14, LIVE: Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing
C-SPAN (YouTube), Jan. 14, Pete Hegseth Senate Confirmation Hearing to be Secretary of Defense
USA TODAY, Jan. 14, Sparks, but Hegseth unscathed in Defense confirmation hearing: Recap
Washington Post (YouTube), Jan. 14, Full stream: Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing for defense secretary
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hegseth said he's not 'perfect' when asked about marriages | Fact check