U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire after reports surfaced accusing him of sharing classified military plans through an unsecured messaging app. According to The New York Times, Hegseth allegedly discussed details of a planned attack on Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a Signal chat group that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
This isn’t the first time Hegseth’s use of Signal has raised eyebrows. Last month, The Atlantic reported that sensitive information was inadvertently shared with its editor-in-chief due to a mistaken inclusion in a separate Signal chat among President Donald Trump’s top national security officials.
An unnamed official defended the chat group, stating, “There is an informal group chat that started before confirmation of his closest advisers. Nothing classified was ever discussed on that chat.”
However, the situation has sparked serious concerns about national security and the proper handling of classified information. Reports have also emerged that Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, participated in sensitive meetings with foreign military officials.
The issue escalated when Dan Caldwell, one of Hegseth’s senior advisers, was removed from the Pentagon amid an investigation into leaks. Two other officials, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, have been placed on administrative leave.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has publicly called for Hegseth’s dismissal, stating on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him. Pete Hegseth must be fired.”
The Pentagon and the National Security Council have yet to comment on the allegations.
