Hegseth faces scrutiny after reports of second Signal chat with sensitive information
Hegseth already has acknowledged that he had participated in a Signal chat about the March 15 attacks with senior Trump administration officials.
WASHINGTON ‒ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing renewed scrutiny after a new report that he shared the timing of U.S. air strikes on Houthi rebels with his wife and brother on an encrypted commercial messaging app.
Hegseth already has acknowledged that he had participated in a Signal chat about the March 15 attacks with senior Trump administration officials; that chat is under review by the Pentagon Inspector General for the handling of sensitive information. Late April 20, Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, called on the inspector general to expand the review to the latest allegation of spilling sensitive information to family members.
The second chat included the same information about the timing of the airstrikes carried out by pilots on F-18 warplanes and missiles fired from ships, according to reports in the New York Times and CNN. Current and former military officials have told Paste BN that the information was highly sensitive and probably classified. Its interception by adversaries could have had dire implications for those carrying out the attacks.
President Donald Trump defended his embattled secretary of Defense on April 21 and said claims of dysfunction at the Pentagon aren’t true when asked whether he still has confidence in Hegseth.
“Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction there is. There’s none,” Trump told reporters after he spoke at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
“Pete's doing a great job,” he added. “Everybody's happy with him. We have the highest recruitment numbers, I think we've had in 28 years. No, he's doing a great job. It's just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that’s what he’s doing.”
And Hegseth dismissed the matter when asked about it during the White House Easter Egg Roll, calling the reports "anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees."
"What a big surprise," he said, "that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out."
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon press secretary, repeated Hegseth’s statements that no secret information had been discussed in the chat. But he did not deny that the previously unreported Signal text chain existed. It reportedly included Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer. Also on the chat: Hegseth’s personal attorney and brother, both of whom work for Hegseth at the Pentagon.
“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story,” Parnell said in a statement. “What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump's agenda.”
Last week, Hegseth fired several top aides for allegedly disclosing sensitive information. Parnell blamed them and the “Trump-hating media” for reporting on the chats.
“They relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President's agenda,” Parnell said.
Reed, who voted against Hegseth’s nomination for Defense chief, said that he had warned that Hegseth lacks “the experience, competence, and character to run the Department of Defense. Reed blasted Hegseth for “chaos, dysfunction and mass firings” at the Pentagon.
Reed called on Hegseth to explain why he had shared sensitive information with his wife and others.
“If true, this incident is another troubling example of Secretary Hegseth’s reckless disregard for the laws and protocols that every other military servicemember is required to follow,” Reed said in a statement. “He must immediately explain why he reportedly texted classified information that could endanger American servicemembers’ lives on a commercial app that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.”