Danielle Dietrich, the estranged ex-sister-in-law of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is now claiming he abused his ex-wife, is a lifelong Democrat who is represented by a lawyer working for a prominent Democratic Party-connected firm.
Dietrich is represented by Leita Walker of Ballard Spahr, which “has a strong financial connection to Biden and some Democratic politicians,” according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. The news outlet reported:
Individual attorneys at Ballard Spahr have been politically active for at least the last three decades, according to data from Open Secrets. And their giving has skewed to Democrats.
But the firm’s political largesse nearly quadrupled in the Trump era. The previous high was $272,000 in 2008. In 2016, the firm’s attorneys gave $846,000. By 2020, political giving increased to more than $955,000, including $148,450 from a newly active political action committee.
According to the Capitol-Star, the firm hosted a virtual inauguration event for former President Joe Biden in 2020 with the Pennsylvania and Delaware Democratic Parties. It also reported that one of the biggest beneficiaries of the donations has been Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who attacked Hegseth during his confirmation hearing.
According to OpenSecrets.org, former Vice President Kamala Harris was the top recipient in 2024.
The law firm’s Instagram page also touts diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), a concept drawn from the Marxist-based Critical Race Theory. The firm kicked off Women’s History Month last year with a quote from Walker — Dietrich’s lawyer — that said:
“If women want any rights more than they’s got, why don’t they just take them, and not be talking about it?”
This quote from Sojourner Truth has always inspired me to not get sidestracked admiring the problem. Spend less time talking and more time doing.
The post has “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” written on it and has the hashtags “#BallardDiversityEquityAndInclusion #DiversityInBusiness #WomenInLaw” posted in its caption.
It is not clear how Dietrich got linked up with Walker. Due to the large size and prestige of Ballard Spahr, Walker likely charges over $1,500 per hour.
Dietrich’s claims that Pete Hegseth abused his ex-wife were made in an affidavit that NBC News first reported on Tuesday.
The timeline and origins of the affidavit are murky.
NBC News reported that Senate Armed Services Committee committee staffers were in contact with Dietrich “for several days” before she submitted the affidavit and that she had chosen to come forward in response to a January 18 letter from Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on the committee, seeking “a statement attesting to your personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to occupy this important position.”
NBC News said it received the affidavit two days before it went to senators on Tuesday.
The allegations come one day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration and one day after the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to advance Hegseth’s nomination to the full Senate.
According to NBC News, Dietrich said in the affidavit that she had chosen to come forward in part “because I have been assured that making this public statement will ensure that certain Senators who are still on the fence will vote against Hegseth’s confirmation.”
“But for that assurance I would not subject myself or others referred to in this statement to the public scrutiny this statement is likely to cause,” she reportedly wrote.
Hegseth’s ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, has denied the allegations herself. She wrote in an email to NBC News:
First and foremost, I have not and will not comment on my marriage to Pete Hegseth. I do not have representatives speaking on my behalf, nor have I ever asked anyone to share or speak about the details of my marriage on my behalf, whether it be a reporter, a committee member, a transition team member, etc.
She added, “I do not believe your information to be accurate, and I have cc’d my lawyer.”
When she was asked what information was not accurate and for comment on the affidavit, she replied on Tuesday:
There was no physical abuse in my marriage. This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision.
Hegseth’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, told NBC News in a statement:
Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview. Belated claims by Danielle Dietrich, an anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that.
He added, “After an acrimonious divorce, Ms. Dietrich has had an axe to grind against the entire Hegseth family. … Ms. Dietrich admits that she saw nothing but is now falsely accusing Sam of lying to both the Court and to the FBI because of private, undocumented statements that she allegedly made 10 years ago.”
As NBC News noted, both Pete and Samantha Hegseth signed a 2021 court document that said neither parent claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.
NBC News also revealed that Dietrich wrote in the affidavit that she spoke to the FBI in a December 30, 2024, interview as part of a background investigation into Hegseth — which Punchbowl News reported last Monday came back as “unremarkable.”
According to NBC News, Dietrich went back to the FBI four days after Hegseth testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee last Tuesday.
Vice President JD Vance blasted NBC News reporting on the accusations despite Hegseth’s ex-wife denying them.
“This is a story about Hegseth’s ex-wife, who herself said the story is a lie. ‘Journalism’ like this is a disgrace and is why the corporate media has lost its relevance.”
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT), a Navy SEAL veteran and supporter of Hegseth, posted on X: “This is a desperate, last-minute attempt by Dems and the media to smear Pete Hegseth and tank his nomination. Pete’s ex-wife is on record saying the claims are false, but the media doesn’t care because it hurts a Republican. Nobody should fall for this.”
Donald Trump Jr. also blasted NBC News, saying, “Notice how this ‘reporter’ doesn’t include in her tweet the most important part of their failed hit piece: That Hegseth’s ex wife is ON THE RECORD denying these claims. Shouldn’t that be the headline here? This is exactly why we say that the media is the enemy of the people!!!”
Arthur Schwartz, an adviser to Hegseth, said in a post, “Hegseth’s ex-wife is on record saying none of this is true. And if it were true, she would have used it during their divorce for money and custody. You have to be a first class retard to believe any of this.”
Andrew Surabian, an adviser to Vance, blasted Politico, for reporting on the allegations but leaving out that Hegseth’s ex-wife denied them.
“Weird how Politico doesn’t mention in their newsletter the key fact that Hegseth’s ex wife is on the record in the story DENYING these BS smears. Why would you leave the fact out of your newsletter unless you’re trying to be purposely dishonest? Journalistically indefensible.”
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