Washington, DC - New allegations against Pete Hegseth have surfaced as the Senate prepares itself to vote on his confirmation as President Donald Trump's secretary of defense.

In an affidavit to senators, Hegseth's former sister-in-law accused him of having abused his ex-wife Samantha Hegseth to the point that she had a secret code word which acted as a signal to friends and family that she needed help.

According to Reuters, which reviewed a copy of the document, Danielle Hegseth said on January 21 that her brother-in-law had a problem with alcohol and had once shouted "No means yes!" at a bar in 2013.

"I believe that Samantha feared for her safety," Danielle Hegseth said in the affidavit. "Samantha also told me that she once hid in her closet from Hegseth because she feared for her personal safety."

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The affidavit was sent after Senator Jack Reed requested a statement from Danielle Hegseth detailing what she knew of the former Fox News host's alleged alcohol abuse issues, threats of abuse, and mistreatment of family members.

NBC reached out to Samantha Hegseth a few days before the affidavit was received by Congress and asked her to comment on the allegations, but she initially refused to comment on her marriage.

"There was no physical abuse in my marriage," she told NBC on Tuesday in a follow-up to the allegations which surfaced in the affidavit.

"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."

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Renewed allegations against Pete Hegseth come after he was grilled by the Senate in a tense confirmation hearing last week. A confirmation vote is expected by week's end, per The Hill. If the vote fails, his lawyers have threatened to sue his sexual assault accuser for defamation.

Hegseth's attorney Tim Parlatore dismissed new allegations against his client.

"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," he said in a statement quoted by the New York Times.

"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."