WASHINGTON, D.C. – The New York Times is reporting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive information about a military strike in a Signal group chat which reportedly included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. This is the latest in what some are calling “Signal gate”.
According to the report, the group chat was initially created as a place to discuss routine administrative or scheduling information and did not include other cabinet level officials. The report claims the Secretary used his personal phone, not his government issued one, to access the Signal chat.
This is the latest development in the “Signal saga”. In March, top security officials and cabinet members, including the Secretary, were under fire after the National Security Advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added the Atlantic editor into a Signal group chat which shared details about an upcoming strike in Yemen. The Times reports “the information Mr. Hegseth shared on the Signal chat included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen- essentially the same attack plans that he shared on a separate Signal chat the same day that mistakenly included the editor of the Atlantic.”
“We are calling on both chambers of congress specifically the select Committees on Intelligence to get involved and have direct oversight on the national security team on their use of classified information and communications,” said Dave Petri, a retired Navy commander and the communications director for the National Security Leaders for America. The organization is a non-partisan group with members who are some of the most senior retired and former officials in the national security arena. They are concerned about top security officials disregarding standard security protocols.
“Operational security is the most important thing that is drilled into us early into our careers,” said Petri. “The Secretary of Defense is the most senior civilian person in the Pentagon and should know the security protocols in place to protect all the women and men he’s in charge of overseeing. You don’t share that kind of information – first of all, you don’t share it on a piece of unclassified communications device; and second, you don’t share it with people who don’t need to know.”
Petri adds if members of the military shared information like this, they would’ve been fired. In some cases, they would have charges brought against them for violating laws of use of classified information.
“Obviously to have that group chat with the reporter in it, that was a real screw up that was a breach,” said Sen. Dave McCormick. “Of course, you gotta get to the bottom of that and President Trump said more or less that same thing. I’ve been in the military and national security jobs previously jobs in my life and you gotta treat the operational security of these things with a lot of care because lives depend on it. So that’s all I can say now knowing as little as I know now, but its obvious they need to learn from it.”
The President is defending the Secretary, saying he is doing a “good job”. We asked the White House if they’re looking to replace the Secretary and what kind of steps are being taken to address sharing of sensitive information. Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly sent us this statement: ““No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared. Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”
On the social media platform X, the Press Secretary said in part about an NPR story which claims the White House is looking to replace Sec. Hegseth, is “total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about.”
