Email from mother, published in the New York Times, said he mistreated women and displayed a lack of character

Summary

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, faces controversy after a 2018 email from his mother, Penelope Hegseth, criticizing him as an “abuser of women” was leaked.

Penelope later recanted, calling the email emotional and untrue. The leak coincides with scrutiny over Hegseth’s reported payment to a woman who accused him of sexual assault, which he denies.

Critics highlight his treatment of women as a key issue ahead of Senate confirmation hearings, while Trump’s team condemned the email’s publication as misleading and unfair.