Who is Penelope Hegseth? What to know after Pete Hegseth's mother addresses leaked email

As President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, wades through multiple controversies, his mom has come out to speak on his behalf.

Penelope Hegseth spoke to "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday praising her son's character and calling him a "new person" after a leaked email from 2018 showed her calling him "an abuser of women."

The nominee was accused of sexual assault in 2017, but he claims the encounter was consensual and no charges were filed against him. A Sunday report from the New Yorker indicated that he was pushed out of leadership positions at two previous nonprofits over intoxication on the job, sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement. He has denied the claims.

Hegseth, 44, has vowed to continue fighting for his appointment and Trump has not publicly waivered in his support, but USA TODAY previously reported he is considering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a replacement.

So why is Hegseth's mom involved? Here is what we know:

Pete Hegseth controversy explained: What to know amid backlash to Trump's Defense pick

Who is Pete Hegseth's mom?

Pete Hegseth's mother is Penelope "Penny" Hegseth.

She previously appeared as Pete Hegseth's guest for a Mother's Day special on Fox News in 2019. They talked about what Pete was like growing up and how proud of him she had been. Pete said he calls his mom a "prayer warrior."

Hegseth's mother has a limited public online presence, but her social media profiles indicate she does some professional coaching. She has taught with the Minnesota Excellence in Public Service Series, a leadership program for Republican and right-leaning women, social media posts show. The organization did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

In her Wednesday appearance on Fox, she also talked about how "passionate" she and her son are. She said her family is strong in their faith, in each other and in God. She called Pete an amazing son and father.

Why is Pete Hegseth's mother defending her son?

The New York Times on Nov. 29 published a 2018 email from Penelope to Pete Hegseth when he was going through a contentious divorce with his second wife.

"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," she wrote, per the Times report. "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."

In her Wednesday Fox appearance, she said she wrote the email out of "haste" and "deep emotions."

“Pete is a new person. He's redeemed, forgiven, changed. I think we all are after seven years. I believe he's the man for the job,” she said.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Sudiksha Kochi

Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected], and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Pete Hegseth's mom, Penelope? What to know after email leak