WASHINGTON — A signed statement from Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, who is nominated by President Donald Trump for the Secretary of Defense post, claims that Hegseth often became enraged after drinking, frightening his ex-wife, and making sexist and racist remarks.

These claims surfaced just days before the Senate is set to review Hegseth’s nomination. The Senate Armed Services Committee voted on Monday, approving Hegseth’s nomination by a narrow 14-13 margin, strictly along party lines.

Timothy Parlatore, Hegseth’s attorney, dismissed the allegations as untrue, pointing out that the sister-in-law herself acknowledged in court documents that there was no physical abuse during their marriage. Parlatore further suggested that the accuser was anti-Trump and held a grudge against the Hegseth family following her divorce from Hegseth’s brother.

The sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, spoke to the FBI and shared her story with the Armed Services Committee because she opposes Hegseth’s appointment as Defense Secretary, as indicated in the affidavit. She clarified that she did not witness any abuse firsthand and that the incidents she described happened roughly a decade ago.

A copy of the affidavit, made available to YSL News, was initially reported by NBC News.

Some of the serious allegations she presented include:

• Hegseth’s second wife reportedly sought safety in a closet after he threatened her.
• Concerned for her own safety, she had established a code word with her sister-in-law to signal when Hegseth was being threatening. She texted this code word to her sister-in-law in either 2015 or 2016.
• She claimed to have seen Hegseth intoxicated multiple times, including once on Christmas when he vomited and lost consciousness. On another occasion at a bar in Minneapolis in 2013, he was observed dancing with drinks in each hand, breaking glasses, and having to be forcibly removed. During the walk home, he made remarks that suggested he condoned non-consensual sexual actions.
• In another instance from 2009, Hegseth was discovered drunk at a strip club in downtown Minneapolis while still in his military uniform and had to be escorted out as he was receiving lap dances.
• He made derogatory comments about Hispanic individuals and suggested that Christian families needed to have more children than Muslim families to prevent being outnumbered.

Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island and the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, stated that the claims against Hegseth warranted a thorough investigation into his background.

“I have consistently stated that the allegations regarding Mr. Hegseth’s supposed history of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct, and public indiscretions require a comprehensive background check,” Reed commented in a statement. “I am concerned that the current background checking process has been inadequate, and this sworn statement reinforces that concern.”

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and military veteran with no governmental experience, is an unusual choice to lead the military, which consists of over 2 million service members. His critical stance on the Pentagon’s adoption of “woke” policies and diversity initiatives aligns with sentiments expressed by Trump and his supporters.

Hegseth came under intense scrutiny following revelations that a woman had lodged a sexual assault complaint against him in 2017.

As reported by police, the woman claimed she found herself alone with Hegseth in a hotel room during an event for the California Federation of Republican Women, where Hegseth was a speaker. She accused him of blocking her exit and swatting her phone away. The woman suspected her drink might have been tampered with, as her recollections of what occurred were unclear.

Furthermore, during the hearing, there were mentions of allegations that Hegseth had consumed alcohol or was intoxicated while working at Fox News and at Concerned Veterans of America, an organization he once led. According to a New Yorker report, Hegseth was let go from the veterans’ organization due to his drinking habits.