Trump WH Stands By Hegseth As Reports Of Another Signal Leak Emerge

The White House stood by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Monday after The New York Times reported he shared Houthi rebel attack plans in a second Signal group chat with family members.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox & Friends Monday morning that Hegseth has done a “phenomenal job” leading the Pentagon amid The New York Times report. The new accusations follow the first Signal scandal in which Hegseth shared a timeline of attacks on the Houthi rebels after National Security Advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffery Goldberg to the chat.

The Department of Defense Inspector General (DoDIG) launched an investigation into the first leak on April 3 at the request of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“The President stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth,” Leavitt said during the interview. “This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change you are trying to implement. Secretary Hegseth was nominated for this position because he is standing up for the warfighter…Unfortunately, there have been people at that building who don’t like the change the Secretary is trying to bring so they are leaking and lying to the mainstream media.”

The Pentagon did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. However, it did issue a statement Sunday denying that any classified information was shared in the Signal chat.

Three top advisors to Hegseth were placed on leave last week amid a probe into potential intelligence leaks at the Department, which included senior adviser Dan Caldwell, Hegseth Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick and Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg’s chief of staff Colin Carroll.

Moreover, Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kasper is reportedly set to leave the Pentagon amid the chaos. Kasper launched an investigation into leaks in March, and it is not yet known if his particular investigation was connected to the prior dismissals.

Former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot published an op-ed in Politico Sunday deriding Hegseth and his leadership at the Pentagon, while disputing that the three dismissals were actually over a leak probe. Notably, Ullyot backed the nomination of Hegseth during his confirmation process.

Hegseth told reporters Monday that he blames the leaks on “disgruntled former employees,” according to NBC News.