US Defense Secretary Faces Scrutiny Over Yemen Strike Leaks to Family Chat
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire after allegedly sharing sensitive details of a March military operation against Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a private Signal chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer. The revelation has raised fresh concerns about Hegseth’s handling of classified information and his judgment in leading the Pentagon.
The Signal group, named “Defense | Team Huddle,” was created by Hegseth in January, prior to his confirmation as defense secretary. It reportedly included his wife, Jennifer, his brother Phil, a senior Pentagon adviser, and about a dozen others from his inner circle. Using his personal phone, Hegseth is said to have shared specifics about the Yemen strikes, including flight schedules for F/A-18 Hornet jets targeting Houthi positions, mirroring details he sent in another Signal chat that inadvertently included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
This second chat has intensified scrutiny of Hegseth, who has faced prior criticism for bringing his wife to high-level meetings with foreign officials, including discussions on Ukraine with British military leaders. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Hegseth’s dismissal, stating on X, “We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him.” Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, echoed this sentiment, demanding Hegseth “resign in disgrace.”
The Pentagon’s acting inspector general, Steven Stebbins, is already investigating Hegseth’s use of Signal for the earlier chat involving Goldberg. It remains unclear whether this probe extends to the newly reported group. Hegseth’s former press secretary, John Ullyot, who described the Pentagon’s recent operations as “total chaos,” pointing to leaks and mass firings as evidence of dysfunction.
The controversy follows the ousting of three of Hegseth’s aides Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll amid a leak investigation. The trio, in a joint statement shared by Caldwell on X, claimed they were not informed of the specific reasons for their dismissal. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell dismissed media reports as driven by “disgruntled former employees,” asserting on X that the administration remains committed to President Trump’s agenda. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly similarly accused fired staff of misrepresenting the truth to undermine the president.
Hegseth’s actions have drawn sharp criticism, with concerns about his judgment and the risks posed by sharing sensitive military plans on an unclassified platform. The ongoing investigations and public backlash underscore the challenges facing Hegseth as he navigates his role in the Trump administration.