Hegseth has maintained that a 2017 encounter was consensual but paid the unnamed woman as part of a nondisclosure agreement.

New details emerged over the weekend about a 2017 sexual assault allegation against President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, Fox News host Pete Hegseth—and while Hegseth has admitted through his lawyer to paying his accuser in a settlement, he vehemently denies the allegations, and Trump is reportedly standing by him.

His choice for defense secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, is facing allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 and then paid her a settlement. A separate report also accuses Hegseth of being an extremist during his time in the National Guard.