New York Times: Hegseth's mother accused him of mistreating women in 2018 email
The mother of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, sent an email to her son in 2018 that sharply criticized his treatment of women, The New York Times reported Friday.
Penelope Hegseth told her son in the email that there are “many” women whom he has “abused in some way” and encouraged him to “get some help,” according to excerpts of the email published by The Times.
The email’s partial publication comes as the defense secretary pick, a military veteran and Fox News host with no prior government experience, is expected to face a tough Senate confirmation process, including questions about a sexual assault allegation from October 2017. No charges were filed against Hegseth related to the incident, and he has denied the accusation, claiming the sexual encounter was consensual.
to The Times’ report, Penelope Hegseth wrote, “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 on Friday told The New York Times that she wrote the email “in anger, with emotion” and that she had immediately apologized in a separate email. She went on to defend her son, saying her own characterization of his treatment of women in the 2018 email “has never been true.”
CNN has reached out to Penelope Hegseth for comment. An attorney for Pete Hegseth declined to comment.
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