US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied a second Signal chat leak allegation. President Donald Trump has also extended his support, calling Hegseth “doing a great job” despite a new report and an op‑ed from a former Pentagon spokesperson that questioned Hegseth’s capability in the role. This came after a recent New York Times report claimed that Hegseth shared details of U.S. attack plans on Houthi rebels on another Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. Earlier, Hegseth reportedly shared the same plans on another Signal group, which included top Trump administration officials and, mistakenly, The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg.
What US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said about the Signal chat leak controversy
At the White House Easter Egg Roll, Hegseth dismissed the leak by saying: “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, won't give back their Pulitzers, they got Pulitzers for a bunch of lies ... 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.”
What Donald Trump said about allegations against Hegseth
Talikg to reporters about the same, Trump said: “Ask the Houthis how he’s doing,” referring to recent US strikes on Yemeni rebels, and blamed the reports on “fake news” and “disgruntled employees.”
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “stands strongly” behind Hegseth.
“This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and against the monumental change you are trying to implement,” Leavitt told Fox & Friends.
Apart from the NYT report, former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot described the past month as a “full‑blown meltdown” in a Politico op‑ed, warning of “even bigger bombshell stories coming this week” and suggesting Hegseth’s tenure may be nearing its end.
He lent weight to accounts of a planned top‑secret China briefing for Elon Musk that was scrapped after media disclosures, despite Trump’s denial. Last week, three senior aides to Hegseth were dismissed amid leak allegations; they responded by accusing unnamed Pentagon officials of slander.
Ullyot added that Hegseth’s team has “developed a habit of spreading flat‑out, easily debunked falsehoods anonymously about their colleagues on their way out the door.”
.@SecDef Hegseth on "Signal chat controversy": "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, won't give back their Pulitzers, they got Pulitzers for a bunch of lies ... This is what… pic.twitter.com/qYH8O98EtX
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 21, 2025
What US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said about the Signal chat leak controversy
At the White House Easter Egg Roll, Hegseth dismissed the leak by saying: “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, won't give back their Pulitzers, they got Pulitzers for a bunch of lies ... 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.”
What Donald Trump said about allegations against Hegseth
Talikg to reporters about the same, Trump said: “Ask the Houthis how he’s doing,” referring to recent US strikes on Yemeni rebels, and blamed the reports on “fake news” and “disgruntled employees.”
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “stands strongly” behind Hegseth.
“This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and against the monumental change you are trying to implement,” Leavitt told Fox & Friends.
Apart from the NYT report, former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot described the past month as a “full‑blown meltdown” in a Politico op‑ed, warning of “even bigger bombshell stories coming this week” and suggesting Hegseth’s tenure may be nearing its end.
He lent weight to accounts of a planned top‑secret China briefing for Elon Musk that was scrapped after media disclosures, despite Trump’s denial. Last week, three senior aides to Hegseth were dismissed amid leak allegations; they responded by accusing unnamed Pentagon officials of slander.
Ullyot added that Hegseth’s team has “developed a habit of spreading flat‑out, easily debunked falsehoods anonymously about their colleagues on their way out the door.”
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