Pete Hegseth’s former colleagues at Fox News are rallying behind his wife, Jen Hegseth, after a New York Times report cast her as an unusually influential — though unofficial — figure within the Pentagon.
“Pete is blessed to have someone like Jen Hegseth partnering with him,” said Sean Duffy, the former Fox News host who now serves as Transportation Secretary. “She’s really smart and Pete is better because of Jen.”
Duffy made the remarks during an appearance on the Katie Miller Podcast with his wife, Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, in a preview clip of the forthcoming interview obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail.
Katie Miller, who is married to Trump adviser Stephen Miller, dismissed the Times article as a “hit piece” targeting Jen Hegseth. She argued that there is nothing particularly unusual about a public official turning to his spouse for guidance, even when that spouse does not hold a formal Pentagon role.
The Duffys also defended the Hegseths’ close political partnership. Rachel Campos-Duffy said spouses often play a distinctive role in the lives of powerful political figures because they can be among the few trusted confidants who are not necessarily pursuing a political agenda of their own.
‘Every political marriage,’ Campos-Duffy said, has one person in the politician’s life who has ‘no angle except what’s best for that person’ – the wife.
Couple Defends Jen Hegseth
She acknowledged that Jen Hegseth may be more visible at her husband’s place of work compared to other political spouses.
‘Maybe she’s a little more out front inside of the Pentagon,’ Campos-Duffy said.
‘But the best politicians have really smart wives who help them decide and debate and discern what the best moves are.’
Duffy then offered a glimpse into his own marriage, explaining that Rachel does not sit in on every meeting or have access to all of the information he receives as a senior government official.
But, he said, she still plays an important role as someone he trusts to challenge him and offer advice.
‘Sometimes she’ll come and say, hey, you need to do this and this and this,’ Duffy said.
He argued that the same dynamic applies to Pete and Jen Hegseth, praising the defense secretary for having his wife alongside him.
Duffy did acknowledge that there are clear limits to how involved Jen can be in her husband’s work, particularly when it comes to classified information.
‘She probably can’t get into every SCIF with all the knowledge and information that Pete has,’ he said, referring to the secure facilities where highly classified information is discussed.
NYT Report on Jen Hegseth’s Role
Campos-Duffy likewise stressed that Jen was not involved in actual military decision-making.
‘It’s not like she’s in making… you know, bombing decisions in Iran,’ she said.
The fiery defense comes after a New York Times investigation painted a striking picture of Jen’s role alongside her husband and described her as his most influential adviser and his de facto producer at the Pentagon.
According to The Times, interviews with more than 20 current and former administration officials and people close to Jen found that she has taken an unusually hands-on role around the Pentagon, despite initially having no official position there.
She has helped prepare Hegseth for public appearances, joined meetings with journalists, interviewed prospective staff and brainstormed ideas for Defense Department videos, while also attending high-level meetings with foreign officials.
The report highlighted one particularly sensitive meeting with British defense officials after the US temporarily halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
British officials reportedly held back on discussing the risks to their personnel while Jen was present, with a more detailed conversation taking place after she left. The Pentagon has disputed that she was present for classified discussions, saying she was there only for introductions.
Jen’s Reported Media Involvement
Her involvement has also extended to the Pentagon’s media operation, an area where she has particular experience.
Jen previously worked as an executive producer at Fox News and was involved in Hegseth’s television career before they married in 2019. The Times reported that she played a role in decisions over which reporters received access to her husband and pushed to revoke credentials from journalists she believed had written negatively about him.
After legal concerns were raised about targeting individual reporters, the Pentagon introduced a new media rotation system that removed outlets including The New York Times, NBC News, NPR and Politico from their workspaces and replaced them with organizations including the New York Post, -, One America News and HuffPost.
She has also reportedly helped shape Hegseth’s TV appearances and Pentagon media strategy. Sources said Jen approved, alongside senior Pentagon officials, an upgrade that turned a room near the press briefing area into a makeup and television preparation studio for senior officials and VIPs.
The extent of her involvement has drawn sharp criticism.
John Ullyot, Hegseth’s former Pentagon chief spokesman, told The Times: ‘It’s bonkers that a defense secretary would involve his wife in his sensitive official duties, including sharing details of an impending military operation, and face zero consequences.’
Jen Chairs Military Spouse Commission
He added: ‘Any president deserves better judgment from his national security leaders.’
Senator Chris Coons has also questioned her participation in sensitive meetings, saying, ‘This is not normal,’ and arguing that Hegseth could not simply pass classified information to his wife.
Her defenders, however, see her involvement as evidence of her value to Hegseth.
The Pentagon has described her as an ‘accomplished leader’ and ‘devoted military spouse,’ calling her a ‘vital asset’ and ‘true force multiplier.’
Jen has now taken on an official Washington role of her own.
She was recently named chair of the President’s Military Spouse Commission, an unpaid position focused on improving the lives of military families and spouses.
The appointment gives her a formal platform beyond her role as Hegseth’s wife, even as questions continue over the extent of her influence inside the Pentagon.
Hegseth has credited Jen with helping him turn his life around during a period when he was drinking heavily.
In a December 2024 interview with Megyn Kelly, he described Jennifer and Jesus as his ‘two Js,’ saying his wife had ‘changed my life’ and ‘saved me.’