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Former Sister-in-Law's Sworn Affidavit to Senators Alleges Hegseth's Abusive and Drunken Conduct (2009–2016)

Danielle Hegseth's sworn affidavit, submitted in response to a letter from Sen. Jack Reed, alleged alcohol abuse, threatening behaviour toward Hegseth's second wife, and public misconduct. The affidavit says much of what concerns the second wife was learned from her at the time, not witnessed; the wife has said there was no physical abuse in the marriage. Hegseth, through his lawyer, denied the claims.

Record summary

Grade

Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct

International crime

Pre-office conduct — outside the official-power scale

Conduct from before office: Donald Trump’s before the June 2015 campaign launch, and an administration official’s before their first appointment or between terms. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Legal status
Sworn allegation
Before Office
Pete Hegseth (all before-office records)
Incident date
Record updated
Category
Civil Rights
Legal posture
Reported
Verification
Cross-referenced
Sources
3 cited
Stable ID
pete-hegseth-sworn-affidavit-senate-2025
Posture note
Sworn affidavit submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee during confirmation; never adjudicated. The central allegation about the second wife is secondhand; she has said there was no physical abuse in the marriage, and Hegseth, through his lawyer, denies the claims.
Alleged responsible parties
  • Pete Hegseth, Fox News host and veterans' advocate (at the time of the alleged conduct)

Key points

  • Danielle Hegseth, Pete Hegseth's former sister-in-law, submitted a sworn affidavit to senators on January 21, 2025, in response to a January 18 letter from Sen. Jack Reed
  • She stated that Samantha Hegseth, his second wife (married 2010–2018), once hid in a closet to get away from him and kept an escape plan with a code word, which she activated once in 2015–2016; Danielle said she learned this from Samantha
  • She stated she personally saw him drunkenly yell in her face in 2009 and repeatedly shout "No means yes!" while very drunk at a bar in 2013
  • Samantha Hegseth told NBC News: "There was no physical abuse in my marriage"
  • Hegseth's lawyer, Tim Parlatore, called the claims "clearly and obviously false to any objective observer"
  • Sen. Reed said the affiant had been interviewed by the FBI in December 2024 and that those details "did not appear to have been included" in the background check briefing provided by the Trump transition team

What happened

On January 21, 2025, during Pete Hegseth's confirmation as Secretary of Defense, his former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, submitted a sworn affidavit to senators. She was answering a January 18 letter from Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. NBC News reviewed a redacted copy.

The affidavit alleged that Hegseth's second wife, Samantha, to whom he was married from 2010 to 2018, once hid in a closet to get away from him, and that she kept an escape plan with family and friends, with a code word, which she activated once "sometime in 2015-2016." Danielle Hegseth said she learned "much" of what she knew about Samantha's situation from Samantha around the time of the events, and did not witness it. From her own observation, she described him drunkenly yelling in her face in 2009 and, very drunk, repeatedly shouting "No means yes!" as they left a bar in 2013. She also related a 2009 report, which she did not witness, that he had been found drunk and in uniform at a strip club.

Samantha Hegseth told NBC News: "There was no physical abuse in my marriage." Hegseth's lawyer, Tim Parlatore, said the claims were false, that Samantha had never alleged abuse and had signed court documents acknowledging none occurred.

Sen. Reed said on January 22, 2025, that the affiant had been interviewed by the FBI in December 2024 and that those details "did not appear to have been included" in the final background check briefing provided by the Trump transition team. The Senate confirmed Hegseth on January 24, 2025 (roll call vote 15: 50 yeas, 50 nays, recorded as confirmed).

  • Nature: an allegation made under oath in an affidavit submitted to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on January 21, 2025.
  • Sworn status: Sen. Reed's office stated that the affidavit was "signed and sworn under penalty of perjury." The oath attests to the affiant's own account; the allegations about the second wife are what the affiant says she was told, not what she saw.
  • Outcome: never adjudicated. No charge, civil action or official finding followed. Samantha Hegseth has said there was no physical abuse in the marriage, and Hegseth, through his lawyer, denies the claims.

Sources

  • Julie Tsirkin, Sarah Fitzpatrick and Courtney Kube, "Senators receive affidavit containing new allegations against Pete Hegseth, who denies the claims," NBC News, January 21, 2025.
  • Office of Sen. Jack Reed, "Reed Statement on Abuse Allegations Against Pete Hegseth," January 22, 2025.
  • U.S. Senate, roll call votes of the 119th Congress, 1st session (vote 15, January 24, 2025).

Update log

  1. Added for the Before Office record. The Senate confirmed Hegseth as Secretary of Defense on January 24, 2025, and he was sworn in on January 25, 2025.

Sources

  1. Senators receive affidavit containing new allegations against Pete Hegseth, who denies the claims — NBC News
  2. Reed Statement on Abuse Allegations Against Pete Hegseth — Office of Sen. Jack Reed
  3. Roll Call Votes, 119th Congress, 1st Session — U.S. Senate

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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