Pete Hegseth confesses to five affairs during marriage
- Pete Hegseth admitted to five affairs during his marriage to Meredith Schwarz, which led to their divorce in 2008.
- He later fathered a child with Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet, whom he married in 2019.
- His personal controversies and allegations of sexual assault have cast a shadow over his political career.
In the United States, Pete Hegseth, who previously served as President Donald Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary, revealed significant personal controversies regarding his marital history. He was initially married to Meredith Schwarz in 2004, but their relationship deteriorated, leading to a divorce in 2008. During this time, Schwarz filed for divorce after learning of Hegseth's infidelity, which he later admitted included five affairs. Their marriage, initially perceived as a quintessential all-American partnership, unraveled as Hegseth changed his values, expressing a loss of faith in family and traditional values. Following his divorce, Hegseth began a relationship with Samantha Deering, ultimately leading to another divorce in 2017, coinciding with the birth of his child with Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet. Hegseth married Rauchet in 2019, at a Trump golf course in New Jersey. His subsequent political career and appointment as Defense Secretary were overshadowed by accusations of sexual assault made against him in late 2017, stemming from an incident at a Republican women's conference. Hegseth denied these allegations, claiming full innocence after an investigation concluded. Despite the controversies, he maintained his advocacy for military values, emphasizing a return to Christian principles in America, highlighted in his book 'American Crusade' released in 2020.