Penelope Hegseth wrote that Donald Trump's selection for secretary of defense "belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego"

The mother of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, is speaking out after the New York Times reported that she accused him of mistreating women in a newly surfaced email. She has since defended her son and disavowed what she said in that email.

The mother of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, sent an email to her son in 2018 that sharply criticized his treatment of women, The New York Times reported Friday.

Penelope Hegseth made the accusation in an email to her son in 2018, amid his contentious divorce. She said on Friday that she regretted the email and had apologized to him.

The Times noted that Penelope Hegseth described their publishing of the email as "disgusting" and she apologized to her son in a follow-up email.

In a 2018 email to the former Fox News anchor, his mother Penelope Hegseth said she had ‘no respect’ for her son

The mother of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, previously accused Hegseth of having abused “many women,” the New York Times reported, marking the latest claims that could complicate Hegseth’s confirmation process.