Pete Hegseth was chosen by President Trump to head up the Pentagon, but his appointment and subsequent work has certainly been met with a fair bit of criticism.
Hegseth has faced allegations ranging from sexual assault to excessive drinking in the workplace – all of which he has denied.
And CNN is now reporting that the defense secretary set up a second Signal group chat to share detailed plans regarding a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen.
This comes after Hegseth used another group chat to communicate with Cabinet officials last month about military plans, which was also leaked.
As first reported by the New York Times, more than a dozen people are said to be in the second chat, including Hegseth’s lawyer, wife and brother.
Reuters reports details of the scheduled airstrikes were discussed in the private group chat, while NBC News states Hegseth decided to share the confidential information despite an aide warning him about.
It comes as some of the defense secretary’s aides expressed their concerns regarding his judgement, including his former press secretary John Ullyot.
In a statement obtained by CNN, Ullyot said: “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.”
The Atlantic’s journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the first chat by national security adviser Mike Waltz, which led to the report on the defense secretary.
In response to the group chat details being leaked, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said: “No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared.
“Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”
Sean Parnell, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, said: “There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story. What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump’s agenda.
“We’ve already achieved so much for the American warfighter, and will never back down.”
Democrat Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called on Trump to fire the defense secretary as he put ‘lives at risk’.
