Overview

• In a Fox News interview on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance identified Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as his closest allies.
• Vance said he and Hegseth had dinner at a Washington burger bar that day and asserted Hegseth is doing a good job at the Pentagon.
• Defending Hegseth from critics, Vance said the "DC Swamp tried to destroy" him and argued that attacks indicate Hegseth is "on our side."
• Rubio has publicly praised Vance as a close friend and "a great nominee," comments he made last month in a conversation with Lara Trump.
• The trio’s ties draw renewed attention to March’s 'Signalgate' chat that exposed details of a planned Yemen strike, after which the Pentagon fired three top aides during its leak probe.