U.S. President Donald Trump expressed full confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday following revelations that Hegseth shared sensitive military information via the unclassified messaging app Signal. Hegseth is under scrutiny for allegedly disclosing details of a March attack on Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a group chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
“Pete’s doing a great job. Everybody’s happy with him,” Trump told reporters. When asked if he remained confident in Hegseth, Trump affirmed, “Oh, totally.” He added, “Ask the Houthis how he’s doing.”
This incident marks the second time Hegseth has reportedly used Signal to share highly classified information, raising concerns within the Pentagon. Last week, several senior officials were dismissed as part of an internal leak investigation.
The U.S. military, under Trump’s administration, has intensified its campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen. The unauthorized sharing of attack plans has sparked debates over operational security and the handling of classified information at the highest levels.
According to reports by Reuters, Hegseth’s second Signal group, initially created during his confirmation process to handle administrative matters, included about a dozen individuals. Among them were his brother, serving as a Department of Homeland Security liaison to the Pentagon, and his wife Jennifer, a former Fox News producer who has reportedly attended sensitive meetings with foreign military officials.
The group chat’s existence came to light after details similar to those shared surfaced in The Atlantic magazine, following an incident where its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a separate Signal group.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt refuted claims by National Public Radio that the administration was searching for a new defense secretary, stating that Hegseth remains in his position.
A source familiar with the situation told Reuters that Hegseth had previously been advised against using unsecured systems like Signal for sharing sensitive information. Despite these warnings, he proceeded with the communications, leading the Pentagon Inspector General’s office to open an investigation into his conduct earlier this month.
The probe aims to assess whether Hegseth’s actions breached security protocols and to evaluate the potential implications for national security.
