The Pentagon has defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife after it emerged Jennifer Hegseth had worked with a consulting firm with alleged links to a major U.S. military supplier. Public disclosure documents published in late September showed Mrs. Hegseth had held a consulting role with prominent Washington, D.C.-based conservative public relations strategists Watchtower.
The records offer little additional insight, including how much money, if any, she gained from this position and whether she continues to offer services to the firm. Other income amounts recorded under the section "Spouse's Employment Assets & Income and Retirement Accounts" range from "None (or less than $200)" to "$5,001 - $15,000." Defense giant Lockheed Martin was among Watchtower's clients, unnamed sources told Politico in 2025. Watchtower was co-founded in early 2025 by Kevin McCarthy, the former Republican House speaker, and several other influential Republicans.
"I don’t do any work for Lockheed," he told Politico last year. Nearly three-quarters of Lockheed Martin's sales in 2025 came from the U.S. government, the overwhelming majority of which came from the Department of Defense—which Hegseth has rebranded the Department of War. It's not clear if the defense company is currently on the firm's client list.
A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin told Politico it frequently works with other companies but did not directly address whether the arms manufacturer collaborates with Watchtower. The company did not respond to a Newsweek written request for additional information, and Newsweek has been unable to verify the claim. There is no evidence Jennifer Hegseth worked with Lockheed Martin, advised Watchtower on defense matters or influenced Pentagon decisions.
Both Pete and Jennifer Hegseth are "in full compliance with all ethics laws and regulations," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to Newsweek. "Any insinuations or claims otherwise are ridiculous slander." Parnell said the Department of Defense "maintains a rigorous, multilayered ethics framework that includes financial disclosure reviews, divestitures where appropriate, and screening to prevent conflicts of interest." "Where required, robust administrative firewalls are established and enforced to ensure senior leaders are completely screened from matters involving former employers or private interests," Parnell said. A spokesperson for the Pentagon did not respond to a request for a direct contact for Jennifer Hegseth.
A spokesman for Watchtower told Newsweek Mrs. Hegseth "has not interfaced with any clients nor does she provide any advice to Watchtower on defense matters." Hegseth has found himself firmly in the spotlight as Democrats—and increasingly, some outspoken Republicans—have been rattled by the tales of chaos spilling out from the Pentagon, the fallout of the drawn-out war with Iran and concerns over whether Hegseth's hacking away at the U.S. military's top ranks has harmed its effectiveness. After the resounding Republican defeat in Tuesday's midterms, largely seen as an indictment on the Iran war, President Donald Trump said he had received "calls" about Hegseth's political future, but he had "every intention to keep him" on at the helm of the Pentagon.
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