"Hate a man like you"... Email to son
Facing various sexual misconduct allegations after minister nomination... Controversy expected
Mother defends, "Sent apology email again, good person"
Penelope, the mother of Pete Hegseth (44), who has been nominated as the next Secretary of Defense in the Donald Trump administration, reportedly sent an email to her son accusing him of being a "woman abuser."
On the 1st, The New York Times (NYT) reported that Penelope sent an email to Hegseth while he was undergoing a divorce lawsuit with his second wife in 2018.
In the email, Penelope stated, "I hate men who disregard women, deceive them, and at the same time have relationships with multiple women and use them," and accused him by saying, "You are exactly that kind of man."
She continued, "As a mother, my heart aches and I am ashamed, but this is the sad truth," adding, "Seek professional help and take a hard look at yourself."
Hegseth is a former Fox News anchor and a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Since being nominated by President-elect Trump as Secretary of Defense, he has been embroiled in various controversies, particularly involving multiple sexual misconduct allegations.
Hegseth faced a divorce lawsuit from his first wife due to infidelity. He was also sued for divorce by his second wife after fathering a child out of wedlock.
In 2017, it was confirmed after his nomination announcement that he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a hotel in California, where he allegedly took her phone, detained her, and assaulted her while they were drinking together.
Hegseth denied the allegations, claiming the sexual encounter was consensual. Several years later, he reached a confidential settlement with the woman, who also refrained from pursuing public litigation, resulting in no charges being filed.
However, Penelope revealed in a phone interview with the NYT that she sent a follow-up apology email to her son shortly after the initial email. She said, "The email I sent six years ago was written in a state of uncontrollable anger," and denied the accusations by stating, "I know my son. He was a good father and husband."
Nonetheless, Penelope's email content is expected to become a point of controversy during the upcoming Senate confirmation hearings.
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