The mother of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has accused him of abusing women for years and displaying a lack of moral character. A 2018 email published by the New York Times painted a damning picture of his character.
“On behalf of all the women you have abused in any way (and I know there are many), I say…get help and take an honest look at yourself.” Penelope Hegseth wrote.
She added, “You are an abuser of women. This is the ugly truth and I have no respect for men who disrespect, lie, cheat, sleep over, and take advantage of women for their own power and ego.” added. That’s who you are (and have been for years), and as your mother, I’m heartbroken and embarrassed to say this, but it’s the sad, sad truth. ”
Penelope Hegseth confirmed to the New York Times that she has since sent Pete a follow-up apology. “I fired off the first email with anger and emotion,” she said, attributing the tone to the difficult circumstances surrounding her son’s divorce from his second wife, Samantha.
The tone of the email was scathing, with Penelope criticizing Pete’s treatment of Samantha. she wrote: “I have tried to remain silent about your personality and actions, but after hearing how you made Samantha feel today, I cannot remain silent. And as a woman and your… As a mother, I feel I have to speak out.”
She added, “Sam is a good mother and a good person (under the circumstances you created), and I think you know that deep down. Trying to label someone as “stable” is mean and abusive. Do you have any decency left in you? ”
Near the end, she wrote, “We still love you but are devastated by your attitude and lack of character.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News contributor and Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, has been embroiled in controversy since being nominated by President Trump. The email accusations are particularly important in the context of Mr. Hegseth’s Senate confirmation hearings, where his character is expected to come under close scrutiny. Reports of an affair and rape accusations dating back to 2017, which authorities did not pursue, have already attracted attention, according to the New York Times. Hegseth claims the charges were false accusations by a woman with whom he had a consensual relationship, and reportedly paid the settlement to protect his career.
At the time, Hegseth was going through a difficult divorce process. Samantha, a mother of three, filed for divorce after learning that Pete had fathered a child with his Fox News colleague Jennifer Roche.
In response to questions about the release of the emails, President-elect Trump’s press secretary Stephen Chan accused the New York Times of publishing “excerpts taken out of context” and Penelope Hegseth apologized for the messages. He emphasized.
The former couple’s divorce, finalized in 2019, involved a dispute over parenting time and required a court-appointed mediator. Pete Hegseth later said he regretted the derogatory email sent to Samantha and vowed to communicate more respectfully in the future.
