Jennifer Hegseth, the wife of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been doing paid consulting work for a Washington public affairs firm with ties to President Donald Trump, according to a report published Wednesday by Politico.
The firm, Watchtower Strategy, brought Jennifer Hegseth on board and compensated her for consulting work, the outlet reported. Among Watchtower’s clients in 2025 was Lockheed Martin, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors and a major supplier to the Pentagon her husband now leads.
The arrangement carries an additional family connection. Jennifer Hegseth is the daughter of a Lockheed Martin executive.
The Pentagon pushed back on any suggestion of impropriety. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Politico that the secretary and his wife are fully compliant with all ethics laws and regulations, and that their only focus is serving the nation’s warfighters, President Trump and the American people.
Watchtower also defended the hire, pointing to Jennifer Hegseth’s résumé as a former top producer at Fox News. A spokesperson for the firm said in a statement that it should come as no surprise that a public affairs shop would want to work with someone of her experience, and that she has helped the firm navigate conservative television media. The spokesperson stressed that she has not dealt with any of the firm’s clients and does not advise Watchtower on defense matters.
Jennifer and Pete Hegseth both worked at Fox News before he was tapped to lead the Pentagon in Trump’s second term.
The report lands as the administration faces a growing number of corruption allegations from government watchdog groups and congressional Democrats.
Critics have pointed to a range of issues, including World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s lucrative cryptocurrency venture, and its reported links to Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates. They have also raised concerns about high-profile pardons and clemency decisions involving wealthy donors and figures connected to the crypto industry, including Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.
The president’s White House ballroom project, which has been funded by multimillion-dollar donations from corporations and billionaires, has drawn similar criticism.
The timing is notable. The Politico report came one day after Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Republicans suffered significant losses, and several surveys conducted in the run-up to Election Day found that corruption ranked among voters’ top concerns.
A Gallup poll found that a record 89% of Americans believe corruption is widespread in government, the highest level in two decades. That view cut across party lines, with 91% of Democrats, 90% of independents and 83% of Republicans agreeing.
A CNBC poll released in late October found that 36% of registered voters named government corruption as the single most important issue facing the country. That put it ahead of grocery and food costs, which 34% of voters ranked as their top concern, and gas prices, at 23%.
Neither the Hegseths nor Watchtower have indicated that the consulting arrangement will change. The Pentagon maintains that the secretary and his wife have followed every applicable ethics rule.
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