Pete Hegseth in deep trouble as reports reveal Defense Secretary shared sensitive military plans in Signal chat that included his wife and brother

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing mounting criticism after reports surfaced that he shared sensitive military plans in a private Signal chat with his wife and brother.

The scandal coincides with mass firings, internal chaos, and an ongoing Pentagon investigation. Calls for accountability are becoming increasingly louder in Washington.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted comprehensive plans for a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen on a second Signal group chat on his personal phone, which included his brother, wife, and lawyer, CNN reported.


Hegseth's closest supporters used the chat to plan during his turbulent confirmation hearing process. However, the people claimed that after Hegseth was verified, he kept communicating via the chat, which contained over a dozen users.

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The disclosure coincides with some of Hegseth's closest advisors raising concerns about the secretary's decision, including his former press secretary John Ullyot and three former high-ranking officials he dismissed last week: Colin Carroll, who was the deputy secretary of defense's chief of staff, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and top adviser Dan Caldwell, as quoted in a report by CNN.

What was shared in the Signal chat?

The second Signal chat follows the one Pete Hegseth used to discuss military plans with Cabinet officials last month. The acting inspector general of the Defense Department is looking into that chat.

The military plans Hegseth shared in the second Signal chat were about strikes against the Houthis, similar to the first Signal chat, which was made public by The Atlantic after its editor was mistakenly included by national security adviser Mike Waltz, according to the people.

Both Hegseth's attorney, Tim Parlatore and his brother Phil work for the Department of Defense. However, even though Hegseth frequently included his wife, Jennifer, in meetings with foreign leaders in the early days of his tenure, she does not.

Who’s calling for Pete Hegseth to resign?

The Pentagon's top official took to Twitter on Sunday night to attack Democrats after the report was released. He was responding to a tweet from the Democratic National Committee that demanded Hegseth's removal. "Your agenda is illegals, trans & DEI, all of which are no longer allowed" at the Defense Department, Hegseth responded on his personal Twitter account in the first public statement since the news broke.

The news of the second conversation comes after Hegseth reassigned his chief of staff, Joe Kasper, and fired Caldwell, Selnick, and Carroll, causing days of chaos at the Defense Department.

Why is the Pentagon in turmoil?

Pentagon officials claimed last week that a leak investigation was to blame for the chaos. The firings are only one sign of the dysfunction that has pervaded Hegseth's office over the past five weeks, including ongoing disputes between Carroll, Selnick, Kasper, and Caldwell.

By mid-March, Hegseth had been deeply shaken by a string of leaks involving military planning for the Middle East and the Panama Canal, a potential consolidation of combatant commands, and a classified briefing on China for Elon Musk at the Pentagon. Thus, he and Kasper initiated a leak investigation that included polygraph examinations, a per a report by CNN.

Hegseth reacted angrily to press reports, including one in The New York Times, concerning the dubious effectiveness of a large-scale military operation against the Houthis. He also became suspicious that some of his closest advisors and senior military officials were leaking information to discredit him.

He even once insisted on an FBI investigation into the leaks, something that some of his aides suggested against. According to those aides, Hegseth was already the subject of an ongoing inspector general investigation, and involving the FBI could only increase scrutiny.

Hegseth, for his part, has stayed out of situations where he might have come into contact with the media over the past week and has yet to comment on the firings or unrest in his office.

FAQs

Why is Pete Hegseth in trouble?
He reportedly shared sensitive military planning details in a private Signal chat with non-clearance holders such as his wife.

Is there an investigation on sensitive military plans leaked in Signal chat?
Yes, the Defense Department's inspector general is already looking into one chat, and this new information could expand the investigation.