CNN's Jim Acosta winced as a conservative commentator justified defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth needing his mother to defend his character amid allegations of his past drinking and mistreatment of women.
Penelope Hegseth appeared on "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday to recant a scathing email she sent to her son that was obtained and published by the New York Times, saying he no longer mistreated women as she had alleged in the 2018 message, and she reportedly called senators on his behalf to calm their concerns about his character.
"What do you make of the role that she has played this week?" Acosta said. "We saw her go out on Fox to defend her son and Axios reports she's been calling senators directly on his behalf. You know, I'm just wondering, I mean, [Ronald] Reagan used to talk about peace through strength. Are we seeing strength being projected out to the world when it comes to the Hegseth nomination if his mother is having to call senators?"
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Conservative pundit Shermichael Singleton mounted a defense, saying the nominee's mother was forced off the sidelines by what he described as questionable reporting.
"I think his mother is out there because some outlets have printed and reported on a previous email she sent several years ago, I think seven years ago, to be exact," Singleton said, "and she feels the need and I think she should, to come out and clarify what was going on between her, her son and their family at that particular time. I think she did an outstanding job on Fox News and, again, friends of mine that I have who actually work for Republican senators, and I've been talking to and texting with a lot of them to just understand where things appear to be moving from their perspective. These things are absolutely making a difference."
Acosta grimaced, saying that the nominee to lead the Department of Defense should not need his mother to vouch for him.
"I'm just, you know, if you're having to have your mother call senators to defend themselves, I know, but Shermichael, to have to have your mother call senators to to get you cleared for secretary of defense, right?" Acosta said. "I mean he goes out there with tattoos, showing off his biceps and everything."
Singleton didn't see anything wrong with that, saying that nominees' families frequently speak up for them.
"I've gone through the confirmation process before, having worked for a former Cabinet secretary and you're going to have statements from the spouse, from siblings, from children, from grandchildren, from friends, from neighbors," Singleton said. "So I'm not opposed to having the mother of a secretary potential secretary who would know him very well, saying, this is who this person actually is. I'm just trying to see if there are allegations against this."
Acosta acknowledged his defense and turned to Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, asking what the situation might look like if the parties were reversed and a Democratic nominee needed his own mother to cover for him.
"Oh, I mean, they would be going out of their minds, but I think you hit the nail on the head," Cardona said. "When was the last time that we have spent segments talking about a Democratic nominee, right? I mean, this is where and, frankly, any other nominee from a Republican president, this goes to the heart of Trump's judgment. The fact of the matter is, he said he was going to bring in the best people, he's actually bringing in the crappiest people who have disgusting allegations, who have no experience in the job for one of the most important positions in the U.S. government."
"This does not bode well for Trump," Cardona added, "it does not bode well for the United States of America."
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