Trump world fires back as Hegseth back in hot seat

The Hill

21-04-2025

Trump world is circling the wagons amid mounting criticism of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after new revelations that he shared sensitive military information with family members on a group chat.
Hegseth on Monday lashed out at the media and what he claimed were 'disgruntled former employees' for the chorus of criticism for his handling of battle plans.
The Department of Defense also saw a series of high-profile suspensions in recent days over an internal investigation into leaks, and a former top spokesman penned an op-ed Sunday saying that chaos reigns at the Pentagon under Hegseth.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, in Monday became the first Republican to suggest Hegseth is not fit to lead the Pentagon.
'If it's true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it's totally unacceptable,' Bacon said.
'I'm not in the White House, and I'm not going to tell the White House how to manage this … but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn't tolerate it if I was in charge,' he added.
But even with the surge of damning headlines, President Trump on Monday publicly backed Hegseth, who he claimed is 'doing a great job.'
'There's no dysfunction at all,' Trump told reporters at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
'Pete's doing a great job. Everybody's happy with him,' Trump continued. 'It's just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess [it] sounds like disgruntled employees. You know he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that's what he's doing. So you don't always have friends when you do that.'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied a report from NPR that the administration had started the process of searching for a new Defense secretary.
Hegseth himself also appeared defiant, telling reporters that he and Trump spoke and are 'on the same page all the way.'
Responding to reporting from The New York Times on the second Signal chat, which broke Sunday evening, Hegseth attempted to link the story to three former Pentagon officials ousted last week over alleged media leaks.
'What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax,' he told reporters at the Easter Egg Roll.
The Trump administration's combat mode over Hegseth mirrors the stance it took last month after the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic revealed he had been included in a Signal group chat with more than a dozen top Trump administration officials.
In the chat, started by national security advisor Mike Waltz, Hegseth shared specific details of imminent U.S. attacks against Houthi rebels in Yemen, including the timing of airstrikes and the weapons that would be used.
At the time, Trump held firm that he was confident in Hegseth and sought to downplay the significance of the leak, which remains under review by the Pentagon's acting inspector general.
Since then, White House officials have remained adamant about sticking by Hegseth, even as criticism has mounted in recent weeks and questions about his judgment have resurfaced.
The wider concerns were amplified in an op-ed penned by former top Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, published in Politico magazine Sunday, in which he warned of 'total chaos' in the building over the past month.
Ullyot, who on Friday left his role as the acting assistant to Hegseth for public affairs over front office infighting, said the upheaval at the Defense Department will likely cost Hegseth his job.
'It's been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership,' Ullyot wrote, adding that it's hard to see Hegseth 'remaining in his role for much longer.'
Ullyot also predicted there are 'even bigger bombshell stories coming this week.'
Sources close to the White House said the administration spent significant political capital getting Hegseth confirmed, and that Trump is unlikely to abandon him anytime soon. Those sources also suggested Trump would be reluctant to be seen as disciplining a top official because of reports in The New York Times.
Trump allies in the media also have rallied to Hegseth's defense, and the Defense secretary's high-profile allies, including Donald Trump Jr. and Charlie Kirk, have used their megaphones to lash out at critics.
Even with Trump world's staunch support, the heat around Hegseth continues to rise.
Last week, amid accusations of leaks to the media, three of Hegseth's handpicked officials were fired while two others chose to remove themselves from his office.
The three men ousted — Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick — quickly took to social media after they were officially removed on Friday, bashing 'unnamed Pentagon officials' they accused of slandering their character 'with baseless attacks on our way out the door.'
Then on Sunday, the Times dropped its bombshell report that said Hegseth shared the same attack plans that he had disclosed on the earlier reported Signal chat with his wife Jennifer, a former Fox News producer who is not a Defense Department employee, and about a dozen other people from his personal and professional inner circle.
Making the report all the more damning, Hegseth allegedly used his own personal phone in accessing the chat and relaying the military plans. Federal officials typically are only meant to provide such high-level information through classified conversations, emails, or devices.
On Monday, Hegseth brushed aside the report as being based on 'anonymous smears' and 'old news.'
'This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations,' Hegseth continued.
But Democrats, increasingly exasperated over the string of scandals that have rocked the Pentagon under Hegseth, are ramping up their warnings about the risks of his leadership.
'How many times does Pete Hegseth need to leak classified intelligence before Donald Trump and Republicans understand that he isn't only a f*cking liar, he is a threat to our national security?' Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Army veteran, wrote on X Sunday evening.
'Every day he stays in his job is another day our troops' lives are endangered by his singular stupidity. He must resign,' she added.
Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) released a statement saying he had 'grave concerns' over Hegseth's ability to maintain the trust and confidence of service members and the president.
'Since he was nominated, I have warned that Mr. Hegseth lacks the experience, competence, and character to run the Department of Defense,' Reed said. 'In light of the ongoing chaos, dysfunction, and mass firings under Mr. Hegseth's leadership, it seems that those objections were well-founded.'