A series of controversies surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's handling of sensitive military information has thrown the Pentagon into disarray.
According to the New York Post, Hegseth shared classified details about the March 15 attack on Yemen's Houthi rebels in a Signal group chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer, marking the second instance of such sensitive information being improperly disclosed.
The revelation comes just weeks after news broke about another Signal chat where Hegseth accidentally shared the same military plans with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, along with several Trump administration national secrity officials. The contents of both messages contained nearly identical information about the planned strikes against the Iran-aligned militant group.
The Defense Department has been thrust into what former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot described as a "month from hell" in a recent Politico op-ed. Three top Pentagon officials have been placed on administrative leave amid an ongoing investigation into unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information.
Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Hegseth, was escorted from the Pentagon following an investigation connecting him to apparent leaks. Additionally, deputy chief of staff Dan Selnick and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Hegseth's deputy, were also suspended from their duties.
The turnover extends to Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, who is reportedly transitioning to a different role within the agency. Before his departure, Kasper had ordered an investigation into unauthorized disclosures of sensitive and classified information across the Department of Defense.
The scope of the leak investigation encompasses several critical areas of national security. Officials are examining unauthorized disclosures about operational plans for the Panama Canal, carrier movements in the Red Sea, Elon Musk's recent Pentagon visit, and the March pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Further complicating matters, reports have emerged that Hegseth's wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News personality, has been present during sensitive meetings with foreign military officials, according to Wall Street Journal coverage.
The security breaches have attracted significant attention from Democratic lawmakers, who are calling for Hegseth's removal from his position. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his concerns on social media platform X.
Senate Democrats have intensified their criticism of the Defense Secretary, with many arguing that these repeated security breaches warrant his immediate dismissal.
The pressure on President Trump to address the situation continues to mount as more details emerge about the extent of the sensitive information shared in these private chat groups.
Democratic lawmakers argue that the integrity of national security operations has been compromised by these unauthorized disclosures, particularly given the strategic importance of the operations discussed in the leaked messages.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's position has become increasingly precarious following these multiple instances of sharing classified military plans through Signal chat groups. The ongoing leak investigation and administrative leaves have created significant leadership gaps within the Pentagon, raising concerns about the department's operational effectiveness. As pressure mounts from Democratic lawmakers and former Pentagon officials express their concerns, the Defense Department faces a critical period of scrutiny over its handling of sensitive military information and overall leadership stability.
