Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been hit with a fresh controversy over his use of the encrypted messaging app Signal.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that Hegseth “shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen in a private Signal group chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.”
Unnamed sources told the Times Hegseth created the group in January, before he was confirmed.
The Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell said “disgruntled former employees” were responsible for the claims.
On X, he said the reports “relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage” President Trump’s wide-ranging agenda at the Pentagon.
“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story,” Parnell added.
“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.”
The fresh claims about the Defense Secretary’s use of the Signal app come at the end of a tumultuous week at the Pentagon.
Three tops officials—Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick—were all fired after being placed on administrative leave as part of an internal investigation into “unauthorized disclosures” of sensitive information.
“At this time, we still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with,” the three men said in a joint statement that Caldwell posted on X.
Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, also left his job, for another role at the Defense Department.
Hegseth was also on the receiving end of sharp criticism from John Ullyot, a former Pentagon spokesman who left his job last week.
In an opinion piece published on Sunday by Politico, Ullyot said “the last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon—and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration.”
Ullyot also accused Hegseth’s staff of “spreading flat-out, easily debunked falsehoods anonymously about their colleagues on their way out the door.”
Previously, Ullyot called Hegseth “the best choice to reform the Pentagon.”
Last week it was reported that Hegseth was one of the main players, along with Vice President Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who convinced President Trump against US-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
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