Hegseth, a candidate for Pentagon chief, paid damages in a harassment case

The candidate for U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to reach a pre-trial decision in the case of sexual harassment paid the plaintiff $50 thousand, as reported by CNN on Thursday, January 23.

In correspondence with the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth was responding to a question from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts about the sexual assault allegation, which he publicly denied and called "an embarrassing statement."

According to the police report, the woman testified to police that Hegseth prevented her from leaving a hotel room, took her phone away from her, and then sexually assaulted her, even though she "remembered saying 'no' many times."

According to Hegseth's version, their encounter was consensual and he repeatedly made sure the woman was "comfortable with what was going on between them."

Hegseth said he reached a settlement agreement with the prosecution that included a confidentiality clause to prevent her from trying to smear his career as a Fox News host with the allegations.

Hegseth was questioned during his confirmation hearing about a range of allegations that surfaced after U.S. President Donald Trump announced him as his nominee for defense secretary.

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Earlier on January 20, the specialized congressional intelligence and armed services committees voted in favor of President Donald Trump's nominations of Pete Hegseth to head the Pentagon and John Ratcliffe to head the CIA.

On the same day, Trump took the oath of office in the rotunda of the Capitol, becoming the 47th President of the United States, reports "Gazeta.Ru". Along with him, Vice President Jay Dee Vance was sworn in. This is the second presidential term of Trump, the first time he was the American leader in 2017-2021. In his inaugural speech, the new US president announced the beginning of the "golden age of America".

Later the same day, Trump signed the first decrees and orders on appointments to the government. In addition, the head of state signed an order according to which the flags over government buildings were never lowered during the presidential inauguration. Until this morning, the flag was lowered in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away last month.