Hegseth Under Fire in Second Signal Chat Leak

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came under fire a second time for allegedly discussing military plans in a Signal chat with outsiders, the New York Times reported over the weekend.

Hegseth’s future might be in jeopardy, as the leak, which followed a similar incident last month involving the Atlantic’s Editor in chief, has only added to the chaos at the Pentagon, former Defense Department spokesman John Ullyot wrote in a Politico article over the weekend.

Ullyot criticized Hegseth’s leadership.

“The building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership… the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot wrote.

“President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account. Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer,” he continued.

Ullyot, a longtime Trump insider who served in both administrations and on the 2016 campaign, claimed he resigned voluntarily last week. The Pentagon disputes that, saying he was asked to step down.

The turmoil comes amid explosive reporting that Hegseth shared details of potential U.S. military action against Yemen’s Houthi terrorists in a Signal chat that allegedly included his wife, brother, and lawyer. The Pentagon has denied these claims, which were first reported by the New York Times.

The fallout over the first leak has led to a wave of firings at the Defense Department, and new spokesman Sean Parnell has attempted to downplay the reports, blaming them on “disgruntled former employees.”

Parnell told reporters, “There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story.”

He further claimed the reports “relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage” Hegseth and President Trump’s agenda.