Within the halls of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s wife has been given an unflattering nickname, according to a new report.
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wife → give → report
Jennifer Hegseth, who previously worked as her husband’s producer at Fox News, has become a prominent presence at the Pentagon and is viewed by some as one of his closest advisers.
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who → work → advisers
Unnamed sources told The Daily Mail that she has a hand in managing the defense secretary’s activities and public image.
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she → tell → activities
“Now there’s a woman with an extremely tight leash on the man she married,” one source told the outlet.
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source → ’ → outlet
“She’s like his parole officer and PR agent all at once,” another source previously said.
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source → ’ → officer
Her degree of influence, the sources suggested, has prompted a derisive comparison among some staffers.
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sources → suggest → staffers
They have reportedly dubbed her “Yoko Ono” after John Lennon’s widow, who was often portrayed by critics as a controlling influence on the late Beatles superstar.
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who → dub → superstar
A narrative has also persisted for decades that she was the reason the band broke up.
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band → persist → decades
When reached by the outlet, a Pentagon spokesperson described her as a “vital asset and a true force multiplier for our mission.”
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spokesperson → reach → mission
The spokesperson added: “The Department of War not only welcomes her current leadership but actively plans to involve her even more deeply in the future.
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Department → add → future
The Independent has contacted the Pentagon for comment.
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Independent → contact → comment
Jennifer Hegseth, 49, is reportedly the defense secretary’s “most influential adviser,” attending high-level meetings, conducting interviews with prospective staffers and readying her husband for appearances.
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Hegseth → attend → appearances
She reportedly supported her husband’s combative posture toward the press, working with him to keep reporters out of the Pentagon, a Trump administration official previously told The New York Times.
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official → support → Times
Jennifer Hegseth, the defense secretary’s third wife, also attended a sensitive meeting last year between her husband and British defense officials, who were made “uneasy” by her presence.
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who → attend → presence
Also last year, she was included in a now-infamous Signal group chat last year in which her husband shared plans for a U.S. attack on Yemen.
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husband → include → Yemen
In August, the Trump administration announced Jennifer Hegseth was taking on more responsibilities, naming her the chair of the newly created Presidential Military Spouse Commission.
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Hegseth → announce → Commission
Democrats have described her degree of access and influence as highly unusual.
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Democrats → describe → access
The defense secretary, who has played a leading role in the ongoing Iran war and has enacted sweeping changes at the Pentagon, has also been given a few nicknames of his own.
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who → play → own
Behind his back, some staffers are said to call him “Colonel Vodka” and “Whiskey Pete,” references to accusations that he had drinking problems — claims the Trump administration has dubbed “completely unfounded,” the Mail reported.
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Mail → say → problems
Some staffers have also dubbed Pete Hegseth “No Tab Pete” — a nod to his “lack of elite combat insignia,” per the outlet.
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staffers → dub → outlet
The defense secretary, who served in the Army National Guard, previously deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
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who → serve → Afghanistan
A Pentagon spokesperson characterized these claims as “fake news.”
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spokesperson → characterize → news
The Aporia
