Penelope Hegseth, the mother of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, reportedly wrote a scathing email attacking her son's character.
"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," Penelope wrote in a 2018 email, according to The New York Times.
The former Fox News contributor faced allegations of sexual assault in 2017. The Associated Press reported that a woman told police Hegseth refused to let her leave a California hotel room and took her phone. Hegseth, who was not charged, reportedly told police the sexual encounter was consensual.
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Nonetheless, Penelope Hegseth appeared disappointed in her son.
"On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say… get some help and take an honest look at yourself," the email says.
When contacted by The New York Times, Penelope Hegseth did not deny sending the email but reportedly explained that she wrote it in anger while her son was going through a divorce. She also stated that she later sent her son another email apologizing for her comments, adding, “I know my son. He is a good father and husband.”
Despite controversies surrounding Hegseth's personal life, Trump's support for him has not wavered.
Hegseth has served in the Army National Guard since 2003. He served with his unit at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, volunteered to serve in Iraq and was also deployed to Afghanistan. He currently holds the rank of Major.
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