'He is not that man': Pete Hegseth's mother addresses allegations against him

Secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth's mother has come forward to address allegations against her son as well as an email she wrote to him about his character and behavior in 2018 that has recently surfaced.

In the email published by the New York Times, Penelope Hegseth wrote to her son, “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man, and have been for years as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.”

But Penelope now says that the email was written in haste seven years ago and that she apologized for it only hours later.

Furthermore, she addressed President-elect Donald Trump, “Thank you for your belief in my son. We all believe in him. We really believe that he is not that man he was seven years ago. I’m not that mother.”

Hegseth is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room during a conference, but he has denied the allegations. The woman made similar accusations against another man that turned out to be false.

“I have a very intelligent son. I have a leader son. I have known that since he was two," Penelope said.