The mother of embattled defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth took to Fox News on Wednesday where she steadfastly refused decades-old allegations of alcoholism and sexual harassment by her son while he oversaw several charitable veterans organizations.
Penelope Hegseth condemned the media’s use of a letter she sent her son in 2018 accusing him of abusing women and displaying a lack of character. “I want to say something about the media,” she told “Fox & Friends” co-hosts. “Part of today is to discredit the media and how they contact you.” Penelope Hegseth went on to accuse the New York Times of “threatening” her into releasing a statement before it published a story last week about the letter which has since fueled doubt about Pete Hegseth’s ability to remain President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee. “I think that’s a despicable way to treat anyone. Threats are dangerous, and they’re hard on families,” she added.
Her letter, which she immediately disavowed according to the Times, has been the epicenter of a swirling controversy that involves rape allegations, alcohol-fueled nights with colleagues, and a contentious divorce with the mother of his three children. Penelope Hegseth said her initial missive was sent in anger over the latter, which involved Samantha, Hegseth’s wife who filed for divorce following an extramarital affair. Asked if she had “worked it out” with her son after the letter was sent, Penelope Hegseth was unequivocal. “Oh yeah. Pete and I are very close today. In fact our whole family is very tight-knit.”
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It remains to be seen what effect the last-ditch interview will have on Trump’s thinking. On Wednesday Politico reported the mercurial Republican is considering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a one-time rival, for Defense if Hegseth withdraws from consideration. The former Fox News anchor has drawn deep criticism from Republican senators tasked with approving him to lead the nation’s military, and a protracted fight would cost the incoming president precious political capital at a time when he would still be finding his footing in Washington, D.C.
Trouble with Hegseth followed the abrupt withdrawal by Matt Gaetz for U.S. attorney general, a nomination President-elect Trump has since assigned to Pam Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general. His remaining Cabinet picks have been praised or otherwise well-received as he seeks to install loyalists atop the federal government in his second term. Florida’s Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, a lower-level appointee whom Trump selected to head the Drug Enforcement Agency, withdrew on Wednesday, citing the need to finish his elected term. He would have served under North Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem whom Trump tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
“To have been nominated by President-Elect @realDonaldTrump to serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the honor of a lifetime,” Chronister wrote in a post on X, Fox reported. “Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration. There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” Chronister continued.
