President Donald Trump on Monday voiced his support for US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, following reports that he shared details of a March attack on Yemen’s Houthis in a messaging group that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
The revelations that Hegseth used the unclassified messaging system Signal to share highly sensitive security details for the second time have emerged at a precarious moment for him and the Pentagon, where senior officials were recently removed as part of an internal leak investigation.
“Pete’s doing a great job. Everybody’s happy with him,” Trump stated. When asked about his confidence in Hegseth, Trump replied, “Oh totally.”
“Ask the Houthis how he’s doing,” Trump added. The US military, under Trump’s direction, has intensified its bombing campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi group.
In the second chat, Hegseth shared attack details similar to those reported last month by The Atlantic magazine, after its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly included in a separate Signal chat, Reuters reported on Sunday.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt refuted a National Public Radio report suggesting that the Trump administration had begun searching for a new defense secretary.
The second Signal chat involved approximately a dozen individuals and was created during Hegseth’s confirmation process to discuss administrative matters rather than detailed military planning. Among the participants was Hegseth’s brother, who serves as a Department of Homeland Security liaison to the Pentagon.
According to publicly posted Pentagon images, Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, has attended sensitive meetings with foreign military counterparts.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Hegseth had been advised against sharing information on unsecured systems like Signal prior to his actions last month.
The Pentagon Inspector General’s office announced earlier this month that it was initiating an investigation into Hegseth’s use of the unclassified commercial texting application to coordinate the highly sensitive March 15 launch of US strikes on Houthis.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Hegseth criticized the media and former employees.
“I have spoken to the president, and we are going to continue fighting on the same page all the way,” Hegseth stated.
Hegseth narrowly secured enough votes to become defense secretary, following strong opposition from Democrats and some Republicans.
A White House official suggested that removing Hegseth would benefit Democrats who criticized him during his Senate confirmation battle.
At least nine Senate Democrats have called for Hegseth’s resignation since the latest news, arguing that the existence of a second Signal chat demonstrates his unsuitability for the position.
Republican lawmakers, who control both the Senate and House of Representatives, have remained largely silent.
However, Republican Congressman Don Bacon, in an interview with Politico, raised concerns about Hegseth’s experience and deemed such a Signal chat unacceptable.
Trump removed several defense secretaries during his first administration due to policy disagreements or concerns about their loyalty.
Hegseth, however, is perceived as being closely aligned with Trump. He has deployed thousands of troops to the border with Mexico, urged Europe to increase its defense spending, and criticized diversity initiatives in the military.
The latest revelation, first reported by the New York Times, follows the removal of Dan Caldwell, one of Hegseth’s top advisors, from the Pentagon after he was identified during an investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense.
Caldwell played a crucial role for Hegseth and was identified as the Pentagon’s point person by the secretary in the first Signal chat.
“We are incredibly disappointed by the manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended,” Caldwell posted on X on Saturday. “Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door.”
Following Caldwell’s departure, less-senior officials Darin Selnick, who recently became Hegseth’s deputy chief of staff, and Colin Carroll, who was chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, were placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired on Friday.
