Key Point: “An ex-sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth’s submitted a sworn statement to senators on Tuesday that accused Mr. Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, of being so ‘abusive’ toward his second wife that she once hid in a closet from him and had a safe word to call for help if she needed to get away from him.”

New York Times: Hegseth Ex-Sister-in-Law Tells Senators He Was ‘Abusive’ to Second Wife

By Karoun Demirjian and Sharon LaFraniere

• An ex-sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth’s submitted a sworn statement to senators on Tuesday that accused Mr. Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, of being so “abusive” toward his second wife that she once hid in a closet from him and had a safe word to call for help if she needed to get away from him.

• In a Capitol Hill office on Tuesday afternoon, senators were reviewing the affidavit from Danielle Diettrich Hegseth, the former wife of Mr. Hegseth’s brother, which describes “erratic and aggressive” behavior by Pete Hegseth that caused his second wife to fear for her safety. According to a copy obtained by The Times, it also asserts that he frequently drank to excess both in public and private, including on one occasion she witnessed when he was wearing his military uniform.

• A handful of Republicans who have learned of the accusations in recent days have privately raised serious concerns about them, according to people familiar with the conversations, suggesting that the new information could potentially sap the necessary support for his approval by the Senate.

• In the affidavit, which was sent on Tuesday to the Armed Services panel, Danielle Hegseth wrote that Mr. Hegseth’s second wife, Samantha Hegseth, “once hid in her closet from Hegseth because she feared for her personal safety.”

• She also said that Samantha Hegseth had given her a code word, shared with Danielle and one other person, that she would use if she needed help. According to the sworn statement, Samantha Hegseth texted Danielle Hegseth the code word once in either 2015 or 2016, and Danielle contacted the other person to put the plan into motion.

• She also recounted a number of instances in 2008 or 2009 and around 2013 in which she had witnessed Mr. Hegseth being intoxicated to the point of passing out.
  
• Many of the allegations in Danielle Hegseth’s affidavit detailed episodes of Mr. Hegseth’s apparent drunkenness, and in some, she said, he made racial statements she found offensive.