Washington, D.C., April 20, 2025 — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is at the center of a growing scandal after reportedly sharing classified war plans in a second private Signal message group that included his wife, brother, and personal attorney. According to a detailed investigation by The New York Times, the incident marks the second time Hegseth is accused of exposing sensitive military information through an unclassified messaging platform, intensifying concerns within the Department of Defense and on Capitol Hill.
The newly revealed Signal chat reportedly contained operational details of a U.S. military airstrike carried out in March against Houthi targets in Yemen—an Iran-aligned militia group that has clashed repeatedly with U.S. forces and allies in the region. The leaked information allegedly included specific scheduling details of the airstrike campaign, which should have been closely held within secure government communication channels.
This latest breach follows a similar high-profile misstep in which The Atlantic magazine obtained classified details of the same military operation. That revelation was traced to a separate Signal group chat that, according to reports, mistakenly included the publication’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. Both incidents now raise serious questions about how deeply classified information has been compromised within Secretary Hegseth’s inner circle.
Sources cited by The Times—described as having direct knowledge of the private message group—confirmed that Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, was an active participant in the Signal chat. Separate reporting from The Wall Street Journal revealed that Jennifer Hegseth had also attended confidential meetings involving foreign military officials, further highlighting the blurred lines between official government protocol and informal access within the secretary’s personal network.
The revelations come amid a broader internal probe into leaks at the Pentagon. One of Hegseth’s top advisers, Dan Caldwell, was escorted from the building last week after being named as part of the leak investigation. In the aftermath, two additional officials—Darin Selnick, recently promoted to deputy chief of staff, and Colin Carroll, who served under Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg—were placed on administrative leave, indicating a widening circle of scrutiny.
Political backlash has been swift. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a blistering statement on social media platform X, accusing Hegseth of jeopardizing national security and demanding his immediate removal. “We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk,” Schumer posted. “But Trump is still too weak to fire him. Pete Hegseth must be fired.”
The controversy adds to the already charged atmosphere surrounding President Donald Trump’s Pentagon leadership, which has faced repeated allegations of politicization, loyalty-based appointments, and lax operational discipline. Although the Trump administration has long championed a tough stance on national security leaks, Hegseth’s own handling of sensitive information appears to run counter to that directive, drawing accusations of hypocrisy and endangerment.
As of Monday, the Pentagon declined to provide an official comment on the situation. The White House also has not responded to media inquiries regarding Hegseth’s future or whether an investigation will be escalated.
With growing calls for accountability and mounting evidence of protocol violations, the fate of Secretary Hegseth could rest not only on legal or administrative findings, but on whether the political fallout becomes too severe for the White House to ignore.
REUTERS
