A new report publishing an email sent by the mother of Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, has sparked backlash.
President-elect Trump appointed Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and former National Guard officer, to be his secretary of defense when he takes office in January. Hegseth’s nomination has already proved divisive, with critics arguing he lacks the experience necessary to lead the department and raising concerns about some of his previous remarks, including that women should not serve in combat.
He has faced scrutiny after it was reported that he was accused of sexual assault in 2017, which he has denied and has not been charged over.
The New York Times published the emails by Hegseth’s mother, Penelope Hegseth, in which she raised concerns about the way he treated women.
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In the email, she wrote, “You are an abuser of women — that is the ugly truth and 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.”
These claims have not been proven, and she told the Times she sent her son an “immediate” apology. She added she wrote the email “in anger, with emotion” due to personal struggles with his wife at the time. She said the allegations in the email were “not true” and that publishing the email would be “disgusting.”
“I know my son. He is a good father, husband,” she said.
Newsweek reached out to a lawyer for Hegseth and The New York Times via email for comment.
The report sparked backlash on social media after its publication, with critics pointing to it to further their argument that Hegseth should not be confirmed as secretary of defense.
“If Pete Hegseth were a decorated general or proven administrator maybe the Senate could look past the fact that he would be the messiest character on a Real Housewives season…but he is a weekend talk show host,” Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark Podcast, posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“Wonder how Republicans are going to spin this statement from Pete Hegseth’s OWN MOTHER,” political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen posted on X.
“Hegseth was already unqualified to be Defense Secretary, simply because he has zero experience running a large organization. His history with women (as set out by his mom) also makes him totally unsuited to run a department with hundreds of thousands of female employees,” author James Surowiecki wrote.
On the other hand, some conservatives criticized the Times for publishing the emails.
“The New York Times is publishing a 6 year old private email between a mother & her son. This is despicably low on so many levels. Families have issues. All the time. To make those issues public for the sole purpose of tanking a nomination is evil. Period,” posted Sean Parnell, a former combat veteran who previously ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican in Pennsylvania.
“This bulls*** doesn’t work anymore. We are over it. This train is already in motion. Get on board or get run over. Cry. Whine. Lie. Smear. We don’t care anymore. The adults are in charge now,” wrote author and podcaster Kira Davis.
