Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth sent sensitive military details through his personal unsecured iPhone just prior to U.S. strikes on Yemen, this time the messages going to 13 others including his wife, brother and personal attorney who were part of an encrypted group chat.
This new report came out mid-April about messages Hegseth sent a month prior, around the same time he was under fire for inadvertently sharing similar attack plans to the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine.
Only those with security clearances or authorized Defense Department personnel should ever be part of a group chat with military plans. Additionally, such plans should never be sent by means of unsecured channels like Signal chat.
Among the secret plans sent in Hegseth’s messages were flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets used to bomb positions held by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, putting the mission itself along with lives of Navy combat pilots and other servicemen at risk. But unlike the first leak, it was Hegseth himself who was directly responsible for adding those unauthorized folks to his chat.
Author Commentary
These leaks are an apparent violation of our laws including the Espionage Act. As much as the Trump administration tries to deny any of the information shared was classified, any mention of the details and scheduling of an impending military attack certainly suggests otherwise. There’s also the irony concerning recent firings of three Defense Dept. officials presumably as part of an internal leak inquiry over the initial Signal chat fiasco, who may have been singled out as scapegoats in an attempt to protect Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz, both of whom are knee-deep in the scandal.
In any normal time, such violations committed by a defense secretary would be a fireable offense, but predictably Trump and his MAGA cronies are coming to Hegseth’s defense. And these are some of the same people who used to cry bloody murder over Hillary’s emails.
But the seat under Hegseth keeps getting hotter with leading Democrats and some unnamed Pentagon officials questioning his competence to lead, while even some GOP leaders and former Hegseth aides are expressing increased unease with his leadership. There are some preliminary reports the White House might be contemplating Hegseth’s ouster, since his bumbling drama has become too much of a distraction and reflects poorly on their already chaotic administration.
Sources
Hegseth shared attack plans in Signal chat including wife, brother, personal lawyer: NYT
Hegseth shared Yemen attack plans with family via group chat
Pete Hegseth Shared Yemen Attack Plans With Wife, Brother in Second Signal Chat
Report: Hegseth Shared Attack Plans in 2nd Signal Chat Sparks Critics’ Fury – Newsweek
Hegseth Comes Under Fire Amid Second Signal Controversy | TIME
Trump backs defence secretary after reports of second Signal chat leak
Hegseth Said to Have Shared Attack Details in Second Signal Chat – The New York Times
Signal chat violated multiple laws, national security experts say
Top DOD Officials Under Hegseth Fired Amid Leak Probe: Reports – Newsweek
Opinion | Former Top Pentagon Spokesperson Details ‘Month From Hell’ Inside the Agency – POLITICO
Former Pentagon official warns department’s dysfunction could topple Hegseth – POLITICO
Pete Hegseth risks national security, sends strike details over Signal (March 15, 2025)
