Overview

• Reports reveal Pete Hegseth used Signal to share sensitive military details, including airstrike plans in Yemen, with a chat group involving his wife, brother, and lawyer.
• Hegseth claims the messages were informal and unclassified, aimed at media coordination, but critics call his actions a severe operational security breach.
• Three senior Pentagon aides have been fired or reassigned amid internal investigations into leaks, with potential DOJ referrals under consideration.
• President Trump continues to back Hegseth, dismissing the controversy as attacks from disgruntled employees and the press, despite bipartisan calls for his resignation.
• Former Pentagon officials and lawmakers, including Republicans, describe dysfunction under Hegseth’s leadership and question his handling of classified information.