Why Pete Hegseth’s ex-wife Samantha is still standing by him after he left her for Fox & Friends lover
The knives have been out for President Donald Trump’s top pick to lead the Pentagon, but at least one of nominee Pete Hegseth’s ex-wives is choosing to stand up for the former Fox News host.
The Army veteran has been besieged by sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse allegations. On Tuesday, Danielle Hegseth – the ex-wife of Hegseth’s brother – claimed in a sworn affidavit that Pete’s second wife, Samantha, feared for her safety and that he had exhibited ‘erratic and aggressive behavior over many years.’
But despite this and the claims being levied against him during his Senate confirmation hearing, Samantha has staunchly supported Hegseth and vehemently defended her ex-husband against his former sister-in-law.
Court papers obtained by DailyMail.com show that neither Pete nor Samantha had abused or threatened to abuse the other.
And the papers also reveal why she may have much more to lose if his career and reputation are destroyed.
Divorce documents in Minnesota show that the mother-of-three would lose almost $80,000 a year without the support of 44-year-old Hegseth.
Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary currently pays his ex-wife $4,000 a month in child support for their three sons, for a total of $48,000 a year.
He is also still paying for each of their private school educations at Liberty Classical Academy in Minnesota but receives a 25 percent discount as his ex is employed at the school.
President Donald Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, 44, has been hit with a litany of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse allegations during his Senate confirmation hearing
His second wife Samantha (left) has vehemently defended her ex-husband against his former sister-in-law, who claimed that Samantha ‘feared for her safety’ during their relationship
Donald Trump and Hegseth posing in the Oval Office. Hegseth will have to win 51 out of the 100 Senate votes to be appointed as Trump’s Defense Secretary
The 2018 documents stated that he pays $30,000 a year in tuition for all three children, though it is unclear if the school has upped the prices.
According to the fees detailed on their website, Hegseth could now be paying $32,130 with the discount.
Hegseth initially was ordered to pay $20,000 a month in spousal maintenance for a year, which was then reduced to $17,000 a month in 2019 until June 2023, as shown in the court documents.
He was in a relationship with Samantha for seven years, before he married his mistress, Fox & Friends executive producer Jennifer Rauchet, in August 2019. She was pregnant with his child while he was still married to Samantha.
Samantha was also given the $931,000 four-bedroom family property in Minnesota by Hegseth to reside in alongside their three children – Gunner, 14, Peter, 12, and Rex, 9.
Her strong reaction comes after Senators reviewed an affidavit on Tuesday from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law Danielle, in which she said Samantha ‘feared for her safety’.
Danielle submitted the document after receiving a letter from Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I., seeking ‘a statement attesting to your personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to occupy this important position.’
The bombshell testimony given by Danielle was obtained by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, NBC News first reported.
Samantha was married to Hegseth from 2010 to 2017. She denied her former sister-in-law Danielle’s claims that she had been abused by him during their marriage and at one point ‘hid in her closet’ out of fear towards her ex-husband
Samantha’s marriage to Hegseth ended in a messy way when it was revealed he had a mistress, Fox & Friends executive producer Jennifer Rauchet (left), who he married in 2019 – even having a child together while he was still married to Samantha
Liberty Classical Academy in Minnesota that Hegseth pays an estimated $32,130 for his three children to attend – with his ex-wife’s discount since she works there
Danielle wrote in a sworn affidavit that Samantha Hegseth, Pete’s spouse from 2010 to 2017, was scared for her safety due to her then-husband’s volatile behavior.
She cited private conversations the two had at the time as the basis for her claims, saying Samantha disclosed Pete showed ‘erratic and aggressive behavior over many years.’
‘Samantha also told me that she once hid in her closet from Hegseth because she feared for her personal safety,’ another portion of the affidavit said.
But when approached for comment, Samantha completely shut down the allegations, telling NBC news: ‘There was no physical abuse in my marriage.
‘This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete.
‘Please respect this decision.’
Another divorce document from 2020 stated that neither parent ‘claims to be a victim of domestic abuse’ and that there was no ‘probable cause’ to believe that either parent had abused or threatened to abuse the other or the children.
The nominee also completely denies the allegations, with an aide for Hegseth telling DailyMail.com: ‘Mr. Hegseth categorically denies every word of every allegation.
When Samantha was approached by NBC for comment on her former sister-in-laws claims, she doubled down that there was no abuse and said she wouldn’t speak further about her marriage to Hegseth
A divorce document obtained by DailyMail.com from 2020 stated that neither parent ‘claims to be a victim of domestic abuse’ and that there was no ‘probable cause’ suggesting otherwise
In their divorce settlement, Samantha was also given the $931,000 four-bedroom family property in Minnesota to reside in alongside their three children – Gunner, 14, Peter, 12, and Rex, 9
Hegseth is also still paying for his children’s private school education at Liberty Classical Academy in Minnesota but receives a 25 percent discount as his ex is employed at the school
‘I would also refer you to Samantha Hegseth’s statement, which says these statements are false, and the court document that the Armed Services Committee submitted for the record attesting to this fact,’ they continued.
Hegseth’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, has similarly denied the nominee had done anything wrong.
‘Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview,’ Parlatore said in a statement to NBC.
‘Belated claims by Danielle Dietrich, an anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that.’
‘After an acrimonious divorce, Ms. Dietrich has had an axe to grind against the entire Hegseth family,’ the statement continued.
‘Ms. Dietrich admits that she saw nothing but is now falsely accusing Sam of lying to both the Court and to the FBI because of private, undocumented statements that she allegedly made ten years ago.’
It is the latest in a string of misconduct allegations against Hegseth, who is on the cusp of confirmation with a vote in the Senate this week.
The new claims threaten to derail the nominee’s support as some Republicans have expressed reservations about the former Fox News host’s qualifications.
Hegseth initially was ordered to pay $20,000 a month for a year in spousal maintenance which was lowered down to 17,000 a month after July 1, 2019
Hegseth currently pays his ex-wife Samantha $4,000 a month in child support for their three sons, for a total of $48,000 a year
Spousal maintenance was slated to end on June 30, 2023, but it’s unclear whether a motion for an extension was filed
An email even surfaced from Hegseth’s mother in which she wrote how his treatment of women upset her, though she later admitted sending the fiery-worded email was wrong of her.
The new claims against Hegseth come just before he is expected to receive a confirmation vote by all 100 members of the Senate.
He will need 51 affirmative votes to officially be confirmed into the Pentagon’s top spot.
Republicans currently hold a 51 to 47 majority in the chamber, meaning if one GOP lawmaker votes against Hegseth, his chances are dashed.
