Pete Hegseth’s mom defends her ‘changed’ son as she trashes the media — then lauds his Fox News experience

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy With Pete Hegseth’s appointment to lead the Pentagon on the brink amid a flood of news stories about his alleged sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement of veterans’ groups, the former Fox News host’s mother Penelope Hegseth appeared on her son’s old show Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning to “set the record straight” regarding the 2018 email she sent accusing him of mistreating women for years. As far as the email she wrote to her son that was recently published by The New York Times, which was sent while Pete was divorcing his second wife after having an affair with a Fox News producer, Penelope insisted that this wasn’t the “whole story” and that her son is a different person than he was years ago. I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair today if I didn’t believe that about my son.” While framing her 2018 email as regretful, Penelope repeatedly described her son as a “changed” man — even going so far as to say that his time as a Fox & Friends host had made him a better person and prepared him to lead the Department of Defense. “Being a TV news host prepares you for most things in a position At one point, she thanked everyone at Fox News — including the makeup team and cameramen —for helping grow Pete “as a leader” and a “communicator.” Seemingly using her Fox News appearance to directly beg Trump to stick with her son, she also thanked Pete’s former Fox & Friends colleagues for defending him as the scandals have piled up.