Trump administration pick Pete Hegseth lashed by mum in six-year-old email

A potential member of Donald Trump’s incoming administration was described as an “abuser of women” in a historic email from his own mother.

A likely member of Donald Trump’s incoming administration was described as an “abuser of women” in a historic email from his own mother.

Pete Hegseth, the President-elect’s nominee for secretary of defence, received the missive from his mother, Penelope, in 2018, The New York Times revealed, in which she accused him of displaying a lack of character and routinely mistreating women, including his ex-wife, Samantha.

“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,” Ms Hegseth wrote on April 30, 2018.

“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.”

Ms Hegseth continued that her son’s “abuse over the years to women (dishonesty, sleeping around, betrayal, debasing, belittling) needs to be called out”, before urging him to “get some help and take an honest look at yourself”.

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth. Picture: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP

A spokesperson for the Trump campaign said the publishing of Penelope Hegseth’s email was ‘despicable’. Picture: Allison Robbert/Pool/AFP

In response to the six-year-old email being leaked, Ms Hegseth told The Times she’d written the message “in anger, with emotion” during his difficult divorce from Samantha, with who he shares three children.

She added that she had immediately apologised to Mr Hegseth in a second email, and rejected her earlier characterisation of him as “not true”.

“It has never been true. I know my son. He is a good father, husband,” Ms Hegseth said.

Publishing the contents of the first email, she said, was “disgusting”.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung echoed the sentiment, telling the outlet it was “despicable” for publishing the “out-of-context snippet” between mother and son.

He added that Ms Hegseth had “expressed regret for her emotional message and apologised”.

Mr Hegseth’s past conduct with and treatment of women is under scrutiny ahead of his Senate confirmation hearings. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

The email’s release comes amid increased scrutiny over Mr Hegseth’s past conduct with and treatment of women, ahead of his Senate confirmation hearings, which will take place following Mr Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

In October 2017, the Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran was accused by a woman of sexual assault at a hotel in Monterey, California.

No charges were ever brought against Mr Hegseth, who maintained he had been falsely accused and the sexual encounter was consensual, and his alleged victim never came forward publicly.

Despite this, Mr Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, later revealed his client had paid an undisclosed sum to the woman due to concern the allegation “would result in his immediate termination” as a then-host of Fox & Friends.

His former wife, meanwhile, filed for divorce after Mr Hegseth impregnated a co-worker, a pattern of adultery, The Times reported, that dated back to his first marriage.