'A Human Leash': Pete Hegseth's Third Wife Jennifer Rauchet Refuses To Let Him 'Out Of Her Sight' — 'She's Worried About His Infidelity and Drinking'
Jennifer Rauchet has been called her husband's 'parole officer' as she has reportedly been glued to his side.
April 24 2025, Published 2:13 p.m. ET
With his wife on his heels, Pete Hegseth's toughest battle might be on the home front.
Jennifer Rauchet, the defense secretary's third spouse, is under fire for her hands-on role in Hegseth's management of the U.S. military – sparking whispers she's acting as his "parole officer and PR agent," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Rauchet caused a stir last month by accompanying her husband to two high-stakes meetings with top foreign defense officials.
Rauchet, a former Fox News producer, was reportedly caught in the crossfire of secret group chats about a U.S. strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen before it even happened on March 15.
However, she holds no official role or government position within the Defense Department.
Sources claim Hegseth's wife is essentially running the show, coaching and managing him like she did during his Fox News days.
Rauchet also raised eyebrows last month by tagging along with her husband to two high-stakes meetings with top foreign defense officials.
One was a tense discussion on Ukraine at NATO headquarters in Brussels, while the other was a stateside sit-down at the Pentagon with the UK’s defense brass about the Trump administration’s bombshell move to halt military intel sharing with Ukraine.
It’s practically unheard of for defense secretaries to bring spouses or family members into top-secret military strategy talks – especially when those discussions involve classified intel that someone like Rauchet, with no security clearance, shouldn’t be hearing.
But Rauchet – who, according to public records, uses the email alias "angeleyes" – has become a behind-the-scenes force in her husband’s day-to-day at the Department of Defense, Pentagon insiders spilled to DailyMail.com.
One source claimed the former TV producer is essentially running the show, coaching and managing Hegseth like she did during his Fox News days.
They also alleged she's acting as a personal watchdog to keep him sober, faithful, and zipped up.
Insiders have said she’s been spotted in official meetings – snapping pics and scribbling notes – and even when she's not physically glued to his side, she's reportedly looped in on his daily schedule.
And in at least one eyebrow-raising moment, she allegedly pressed Pentagon PR staff to hype up Hegseth's military background and wholesome family image in official statements.
Shortly after their daughter’s birth, Hegseth faced allegations of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at a 2017 Republican women’s conference.
An insider said: "'I'm sure she's worried about his infidelity and drinking, but she's also involved in the shaping of his public image.
"She's like his parole officer and PR agent all at once."
Hegseth's messy love life and need for control go way back.
His first marriage crumbled after allegations of serial cheating – including with the woman who became wife number two and mother of his three kids.
That union also unraveled when he got involved with Rauchet, who was married at the time and later had his child.
Not long after their daughter was born, Hegseth faced serious allegations of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at a Republican women’s conference in 2017.
Though he denied any wrongdoing and claimed it was consensual, he shelled out $50,000 to quietly settle the case without going to court.
Hegseth noteably kept quiet about a sexual assault settlement while joining Trump's transition team – and was slammed by his own mother in a scathing email calling him a "despicable" abuser of women.
Though she later walked back the remarks, the damage was done.
At the time, Hegseth was juggling a messy divorce, a new baby with Rauchet, and headline-making accusations.
Still, the scandal didn't stop the couple from tying the knot in a lavish Trump golf club wedding in 2019. Now, they’re living large in a $3.5million Nashville-area estate with their blended brood of seven kids.
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Instead of directly confronting Hegseth's growing scandals, the couple has stuck together by firing back at their critics.
The two never miss a chance to gush over each other online, either. He's called her his "rock," she's dubbed him her "cowboy," and their Instagram is packed with heartfelt tributes.
Rather than address Hegseth's mounting scandals head-on, the couple has stuck together by firing back at liberals.
After fresh heat over yet another group chat, he took to social media to blast Democrats – echoing his wife's earlier tactic of dodging tough questions during his confirmation by shifting blame.
And although Trump has dismissed worries over Hegseth's latest group chat scandal as "a waste of time," recent reports say White House aides are already on the lookout for a new defense secretary.
