Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary, is at the center of controversy following the publication of a 2018 email in which his mother accused him of “routinely mistreating women for years” and displaying a “lack of character.”
The email, written by Hegseth’s mother, Penelope Hegseth, was published Friday by The New York Times. In it, she harshly criticized her son’s alleged behavior, writing, “On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say … get some help and take an honest look at yourself.”
Penelope’s email, reportedly sent during Hegseth’s divorce in 2018, outlined her deep disappointment in her son. “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years), and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth,” she wrote.
In a phone interview with The Times, Penelope acknowledged sending the email but clarified that she later apologized to her son in a follow-up message. She described the initial email as written “in anger, with emotion,” amid the tensions of her son’s divorce.
“It is not true. It has never been true,” she told The Times. “I know my son. He is a good father [and] husband.” She condemned the publication of the email as “disgusting.”
The Trump administration quickly denounced The New York Times for publishing the email, calling it “despicable.” Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, accused the publication of taking the email out of context and using an “illegally-obtained private email exchange.”
“In subsequent emails, Mrs. Hegseth expressed regret for her emotional message and apologized,” Cheung said in a statement, accusing The Times of sensationalizing the story.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army veteran, has been a vocal supporter of Trump and a prominent conservative voice. His nomination for Defense Secretary has already faced criticism from some quarters, and the resurfaced email adds to the scrutiny of his personal and professional life.
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