The mother of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, reportedly sent him an email in 2018, saying that the former Fox News host “has been dealing with women on a daily basis for years.” The New York Times reported: reported on friday.
“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 According to the text of the email published by the Times, it was addressed to her son.
“I have no respect for men who disrespect, lie, cheat, sleep with, and take advantage of women for the sake of their power and ego. That's who you are (and have been for years), according to the Times. “As your mother, I'm heartbroken and embarrassed to say that, but it's a sad, sad truth,” she added.
In a phone interview with The Times, Penelope Hegseth said at the time that she sent a follow-up message apologizing for the initial email, saying it was “with anger and emotion” that her son and wife had been wronged. He claimed to have sent an email. divorce.
“That's not true. It was never true,” she told the Times. “I know my son and he is a good father and husband,” she added, adding that the emails released were “disgusting.”
President Trump's communications director, Stephen Chan, criticized the Times' airing of the email as “despicable.”
“The New York Times is despicable for using illegally obtained out-of-context snippets of private email exchanges between a mother and son that do not accurately reflect the entire conversation. Subsequent e-mails “In an email, Mrs. Hegseth expressed regret and apologized for the emotional message,” Chong said in an emailed statement.
The New York Times said the email was obtained from someone connected to the Hegseth family.
Hegseth has come under fire for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, but President Trump has nominated the Army veteran and longtime television host to lead the Pentagon, and he is currently in Washington. It surfaced after shocking many people.
Hegseth has denied allegations of wrongdoing and said the encounter was consensual. Pete Hegseth's attorney, Timothy Parlatore, said his client is “totally innocent.”
“He was acquitted after a police investigation revealed that the woman was the perpetrator in the situation and was subsequently the subject of blackmail. Such false claims are not an actual sexual assault. This undermines the gravity of the case,” Parlatore said in a statement.
Pete Hegseth also said in a recent interview that women shouldn't serve in combat roles in the military and called for the removal of “woke” generals from the Pentagon, including Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It has also been criticized for this.
No Republican senators are outright opposed to his confirmation, but some have expressed skepticism about the nomination. To narrow Mr. Hegseth's chances, only four Republicans would need to side with Democrats to oppose his nomination.
