Trump defends Hegseth amid Pentagon turmoil, Signal chat leak probe

Trump backed Hegseth after ex-Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot said the Defence Department is overwhelmed by staff drama and turnover in the early months of Trump's second term

By Derek Wallbank and Jennifer A. Dlouhy

 

President Donald Trump said Pete Hegseth is “doing a great job” despite what appear to be attacks from “disgruntled employees,” as the defense secretary is buffeted by staff dismissals, a leak investigation and a report that he shared sensitive military attack plans in a second unsecured chat group.  

“Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction there is,” Trump told reporters Monday during the annual Easter Egg roll on the White House lawn, referring to the military’s attacks on Houthi militants in Yemen. 

 

The president’s support came after John Ullyot, who resigned last week after serving briefly as Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department has been overwhelmed by staff drama and turnover in the initial months of the second Trump administration. He called it a “full-blown meltdown” that could cost the defense secretary his job. 

 

 

The criticism from Ullyot followed statements by three top Defense Department officials who were reportedly fired amid an inquiry into leaks. They said they weren’t told what they were being investigated for or if there was even a leak probe underway. 

Analysts steeped in the Pentagon’s ways expressed amazement at the public infighting. “I can’t think of a precedent for this kind of recklessness among civilian leaders of the Pentagon,” said Kori Schake, a defense analyst with the American Enterprise Institute.

 

Hegseth — a 44-year-old former Fox News host and National Guard officer with a combat record but limited management experience — was already under scrutiny for sharing confidential information in a Signal chat group detailing an imminent attack against the Houthis. The group included top Trump administration officials as well as journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who wrote about the episode after being included inadvertently.

 

Now, a second Signal chat has emerged in which Hegseth shared the information about the pending strikes in Yemen with a group that included his wife and brother, according to a person familiar with the episode.

 

Asked about the second chat group, which the New York Times reported earlier, Trump said “it’s the same old stuff from the media. That’s an old one. Try finding something new.” 

But Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said “if the reports are true, it is unacceptable, and I wouldn’t tolerate it.”

 

Hegseth said Monday that the story “doesn’t matter” because it’s based on “anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news.” He also expressed confidence in his job security.

 

“I have spoken to the president, and we are going to continue fighting,” he told reporters at the White House. “On the same page all the way.”

 

Trump declined to remove Hegseth or National Security Advisor Mike Waltz over the initial Signal chat, which was set up by Waltz.

 

The Pentagon’s inspector general is probing that incident at the request of two top senators. Asked about the second Signal chat, Mollie Halpern, a spokesperson for the inspector general’s office, said it’s aware of the news reports but “we have nothing to say about that.”

 

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, in a statement posted to X, said the Times and “all other Fake News that repeat their garbage” are “enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article. They relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President’s agenda.”

 

“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story,” Parnell said.