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‘I’m a f–ked up individual:’ Pete Hegseth admitted to a startling number of affairs during first marriage

Allegations of sexual assault aren’t the only thing that Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has going against him right now.

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Hegseth once reportedly described himself as a “f*cked up individual” after engaging in five affairs during his first marriage.

Hegseth met his first wife Meredith Schwarz while they were still in high school in Minnesota, and the pair married after graduating from college. They stayed together during Hegseth’s first tour of duty in Iraq, where he served in a unit so aggressive it was nicknamed “Kill Company.” When Hegseth returned home, he launched into a political career and created his Vets for Freedom organization while simultaneously embracing policies that Schwarz’s friends referred to as “regressive.” According to a source, “his position was basically, if you got pregnant it was your fault.”

Then the real trouble started. Hegseth and Schwarz continued their long distance relationship – she lived in New York City and worked a finance job while he pursued a political career in Washington D.C. After a time, Hegseth told his wife that he wanted to quit his job and move back to Minnesota with her. Overjoyed at the prospect of being with him again, Schwarz quit her job and moved back to their home state.

Hegseth didn’t return. He came up with excuses as to why he couldn’t come back. Eventually, he called Schwarz up and admitted to having five separate affairs. She tried to make the marriage work, until she noticed charges for hotel rooms on her credit card that she didn’t recognize. While Hegseth never admitted it, Schwarz later learned that he and Samantha Deering – a woman who also worked at Vets for Freedom – had stayed there together. Hegseth later married Deering, and then began an affair with Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet. Hegseth had a baby with Rauchet in 2017, and the pair married two years later. Messy.

So how many affairs has Pete Hegseth had? Six that we know of.


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Sarah Fimm
Sarah Fimm (they/them) is actually nine choirs of biblically accurate angels crammed into one pair of $10 overalls. They have been writing articles for nerds on the internet for less than a year now. They really like anime. Like... REALLY like it. Like you know those annoying little kids that will only eat hotdogs and chicken fingers? They're like that... but with anime. It's starting to get sad.