Embattled Trump Defense Department nominee Pete Hegseth has enlisted a new ally to help win over skeptical Republican senators: His own mother. As reported by The Hill's Mychael Schnell, Hegseth told Republican Study Committee members on Wednesday that "his mom has been making calls to senators on his behalf.

Penelope Hegseth said she and her son are "very close today" and emphasized that the email in which she criticized him was from seven years ago.

Penelope Hegseth is Pete’s mother. In 2018, she wrote an email to her son about his treatment toward women.