Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host who has been nominated by president-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was accused of sexual assault in 2017 in California, in an incident that has come to light in the past two days. The alleged assault was first reported by Vanity Fair on Thursday.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense and a former Fox News host, was investigated in 2017 for "an alleged sexual assault" at a California hotel that was hosting a gathering of Republican women, police said Friday.

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, was involved in a police investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2017, local officials in California confirmed Thursday night.