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I am here to tell the truth. To tell the truth to the American people and tell the truth to the

senators on the hill, especially our female senators. I really hope that you will not

listen to the media and that you will listen to Pete. Pete is Pete Hegseth, President-elect

Trump's pick to lead the Defense Department in his second administration. And the woman, urging senators on the hill, especially the female ones, to listen to Pete,

that's his mother, Penelope Hegseth.

And I want people to look at Pete, judge people, or understand him for who he is today,

and to disregard the media that was seven years ago. And most of it is misinformation.

Hegseth's mother was talking to Fox and Friends host Steve Ducey about an email she wrote to her son

accusing him of routinely mistreating women and displaying a lack of character. The email, which was written during

Hegsef's 2018 divorce, was published this week by the New York Times. His mother says she wrote

the email in haste during an emotional time, and she says today her relationship with Hegsef is

solid. Pete and I are very close today. In fact, our whole family is very tight-knit.

As Penelope Hegeseth did damage control on Fox News, her son was doing the same with senators on Capitol Hill.

And he told CBS News he still has the president-elect support.

...