The mother of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, wrote a scathing email to her son in 2018 criticizing his treatment of women, The New York Times reported Friday, adding new complications to his expected confirmation battle.
According to the Times, Penelope Hegseth told her son there are “many” women whom he has “abused in some way” and urged him to “get some help.” The email emerged as the former Fox News host faces scrutiny over a 2017 sexual assault allegation.
“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,” Penelope Hegseth wrote in the April 30, 2018 email, sent during her son’s divorce from his second wife.
Penelope Hegseth told the Times Friday she wrote the email “in anger, with emotion” and immediately apologized, saying her characterization “has never been true.” Trump communications director Steven Cheung called the report “despicable,” describing it as “an out-of-context snippet of an illegally-obtained private email exchange.”
The revelation comes as Hegseth, who has no prior government experience, faces questions about a sexual assault allegation from October 2017 in Monterey, California. While no charges were filed, Hegseth later paid the accuser in a confidential settlement agreement. His attorney Timothy Parlatore said Hegseth settled to protect his Fox News job during the “Me Too” movement.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee that would hold confirmation hearings, defended Hegseth, telling CNN he “absolutely” believes the nominee’s account that the encounter was consensual. Mullin noted Hegseth wasn’t charged and said the police report supports his version of events.
Hegseth recently told Republicans on a prayer call that “the battle is just beginning” as he faces confirmation challenges, saying his family has received “an outpouring of support” since Trump’s announcement. “That’s the reason why we can endure the attacks and the onslaughts,” he said.
