The mother of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick for defense secretary, defended her son Wednesday morning in an appearance on Fox News, following reporting on an email she sent to her son years earlier accusing him of being an “abuser of women.”
Penelope Hegseth, appearing on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday morning, said her son and his wife at the time were going through a “very difficult divorce” when she wrote the email in 2018, noting that she wrote it “in haste” and with “deep emotions.”
“I wrote that out of love,” she said. “And about two hours later, I retracted it with an apology email, but nobody’s seen that.”
Hegseth’s mother said in the email, published by The New York Times, that she was writing on “behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way,” telling her son to “get some help and take an honest look at yourself.”
But Hegseth’s mother said she was appearing Wednesday on Fox to “tell the truth” to the American people, and to Republican senators on the hill — “especially our female senators.”
Hegseth, a former “Fox & Friends” weekend co-host, has been meeting with Republican senators on Capitol Hill this week and before the Thanksgiving recess, looking to secure support as the chamber prepares to work on the confirmation of Trump intended Cabinet and administration nominees early next year. Meanwhile, Hegseth has faced allegations in a number of negative stories published in recent days of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veterans’ charities, repeated intoxication and infidelity. Hegseth has denied the allegations.
Hegseth’s mother encouraged the senators to “listen to Pete,” noting that part of the reason she appeared on Fox was to “discredit the media.” She added that she called Fox on Tuesday saying she wanted to speak out on the issue, noting that “I would do anything for my son.”
Trump selected the 44-year-old Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan for the top Pentagon post last month. Since then, he’s faced intense scrutiny, and amid the scrutiny, Trump is considering selecting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his pick for defense secretary to potentially replace embattled Hegseth, three sources familiar with the transition told CBS News on Tuesday night.
Hegseth insisted on Wednesday that he would not be withdrawing his name from consideration. He wouldn’t be the first Trump nominee to withdraw: Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, initially Trump’s pick to be attorney general, dropped out of consideration just days after he was tapped for the role.
“Why would I back down?” Hegseth told CBS News. “I’ve always been a fighter. I’m here for the fighters. This is personal and passionate for me.”
Hegseth’s mother repeatedly defended her son during the appearance on Wednesday, saying he has changed and noting that “if we all went back seven years, we would see that maybe we are not the people we are today.”
Hegseth’s mother thanked Trump for his “belief” in her son.
“Trump knows Pete,” she said. “And he knows the Pete of today.”