Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's wife is under fire from critics across the political spectrum after a report revealed who cut her checks last year.
Jennifer Hegseth, a former longtime Fox News producer, was paid for consulting work last year by Watchtower Strategy, a Trump-connected Washington firm that also did work for Lockheed Martin that same year, Politico's Daniel Lippman reported via a post on X Wednesday. The payments showed up on her husband's annual financial disclosure, though the amount she earned was not listed.
Watchtower launched in January 2025 and counts former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and several Republican operatives among its ranks, according to Politico. Jenniger Hegseth is also the daughter of a Lockheed Martin executive, and she joined her husband at meetings with GOP senators as he fought for confirmation.
A Watchtower spokesperson told Politico she helped the firm navigate conservative TV media and "has not interfaced with any clients." A Lockheed spokesperson would not say directly whether the company still works with Watchtower.
"Secretary Hegseth and his wife are in full compliance with all ethics laws and regulations, and their sole focus is serving our warfighters, President Trump, and the American people," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to Politico. However, the line did not land with critics like Chris Meagher, who led Pentagon public affairs under former President Joe Biden.
"The quote about how Hegseth and wife's 'sole focus is serving our warfighters' in a story about her being paid by Kevin McCarthy's consulting firm was a nice touch," Meagher quipped on X.
Luke Nicastro, a senior editor at The American Conservative and former national security adviser to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), reacted with a blunt "Yikes," adding that it's "astonishing the degree to which Hegseth embodies two of the dynamics—War & Corruption—most responsible for last night’s bloodbath" for Republicans.
Matt Getz, the former Florida Republican congressman, turned his fire on Hegseth directly.
"I'm a former member of the House Armed Services Committee. If Lloyd Austin's wife was working for a lobbying firm while he was leading the Pentagon, I would have exposed the wrongdoing," Gaetz fumed. "Wives of Cabinet members shouldn't be paid by lobbyists."
Jennifer Hegseth did not respond to Politico's request for comment.