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Penelope Hegseth accused her son, Pete Hegseth, of mistreating women for many years in an email she sent to him in 2018 during his difficult divorce. However, she later expressed regret for sending the email and apologized to him.
Written by Sharon LaFraniere and Julie Tate.
Sharon LaFraniere has been covering President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choices for cabinet positions and is open to receiving tips on the subject via the website nytimes.com. She reported from Washington, with research assistance from Julie Tate in the same city.
In 2018, Pete Hegseth’s mother sent an email to President-elect Donald J. Trump, expressing concerns about her son’s behavior towards women over the years and questioning his character.
Penelope Hegseth expressed concern for all the women who have been mistreated by him and urged him to seek help and reflect on his actions. Despite everything, she still cared for him.
Additionally, she expressed her disdain for men who demean, deceive, betray, engage in promiscuous behavior, and manipulate women for their own benefit and ego. She identified the recipient of her message as embodying these negative traits for an extended period of time. As his mother, she admitted feeling hurt and ashamed to acknowledge this unfortunate reality.
In a phone conversation with The New York Times on Friday, Mrs. Hegseth mentioned that she had promptly sent her son a follow-up email apologizing for her initial message. She explained that she had sent the first email out of anger and emotion during a challenging period when her son and his wife were going through a tough divorce.
During the interview, she supported her son and rejected the negative opinions she had previously mentioned in an email regarding his behavior towards women. She stated that the claims were false and have never been true. She emphasized that she knows her son well, describing him as a devoted father and husband. She also expressed her disgust at the decision to publish the initial email.
In the weeks following Mr. Trump’s selection of Mr. Hegseth, a military veteran with experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, questions have arisen regarding his behavior towards women. This matter is anticipated to be a topic of examination during the Senate confirmation hearings for his appointment to lead the Pentagon.
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