Pete Hegseth’s FBI background check does not include interviews with key women from his past

The FBI background check on Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, does not include interviews with Hegseth’s ex-wives or with the woman who accused Hegseth of sexual assault in a California hotel room in 2017, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the contents of the report.

It is standard protocol to interview current and former spouses when conducting an FBI background check, according to two other sources familiar with the process. But it is also contingent on cooperation from the interviewees, and it is not clear whether the FBI attempted outreach to those people.

Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which will be holding Hegseth’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday, also sent inquiries to counsel for Hegseth’s ex-wives, but they did not share information with the committee, according to two sources.

Since Trump announced Hegseth as his pick to run the Pentagon, the military veteran and former Fox News host has faced a number of controversies and negative allegations. With regard to the 2017 allegation of sexual assault, Hegseth has said the incident was consensual but paid his accuser an undisclosed amount in 2023 as part of a settlement agreement. The local district attorney declined to filed charges in the case, saying there was no “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” for charges.

Senate Democrats have already been raising alarms about delays producing the FBI check on Hegseth and concerns about its thoroughness, while the Trump transition has downplayed those concerns.