“Disgruntled former employees are peddling things to try to save their ass, and ultimately, that’s not going to work,” Hegseth said.
Trump, Hegseth on second Signal chat leak
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out against reports that he was involved in a second Signal chat leak.
- Hegseth is again under fire after reports said he shared details of an impending air strike in Yemen with a group chat that included his wife, brother, and personal attorney.
- The Defense secretary said the information wasn’t classified and was shared for “media coordination and other things.”
WASHINGTON − Embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at “leakers” within the Pentagon, warning they could face criminal prosecution as he tried to fend off mounting criticism about his job performance.
A defiant Hegseth addressed his latest controversies in an interview Tuesday on Fox News’ Fox and Friends, where he previously worked as a co-host. He said three recently terminated Pentagon employees, Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, were put on leave because an internal investigation found they’d fed information to the media.
“If we think you are leaking to the press, that’s a very real problem. We take that very seriously at the Pentagon,” Hegseth said. “Disgruntled former employees are peddling things to try to save their ass, and ultimately, that’s not going to work.”
Hegseth said the Pentagon launched an investigation with the Defense Department’s Office of Special Investigations following a series of stories that relied on non-public information. He said the investigation “led to some unfortunate places, people I have known for quite some time, but it’s not my job to protect them.”
He said the Pentagon plans to turn over information about leakers to the Department of Justice.
“When that evidence is gathered sufficiently ‒ and this has all happened, very quickly ‒ it will be handed over to DOJ, and those people will be prosecuted if necessary,” he said.
Hegseth’s appearance came after the New York Times, citing four anonymous sources, reported Sunday that Hegseth shared sensitive military information in a Signal chat with a group that included his wife, brother and personal attorney. The communication mirrored the attack plans on Houthi militants in Yemen that Hegseth shared in a separate Signal chat of Trump officials the same day that inadvertently included the editor of The Atlantic magazine.
Hegseth did not deny sending the information to his wife Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, or his brother and personal attorney, both whom have jobs in the Pentagon. But he said the information wasn’t war plans.
“I look at war plans every single day. What was shared over Signal then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordinations for media coordination and other things,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth told Fox and Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade he believes the story came from information leaked by a terminated former Pentagon employee.
“Why would it surprise anybody, Brian, if those very same people keep leaking to the very same reporters, whatever information they think they can have to try to sabotage the agenda of the president or the secretary?” Hegseth said. “Once a leaker, always a leaker, often a leaker.”
Hegseth also downplayed an account from former chief Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, who in an opinion piece published in Politico detailed “a month of total chaos at the Pentagon” under Hegseth’s leadership. Ullyot resigned last week.
“Anybody that knows John, knows why we let him go. We did a lot of favors for John, did some good work up front, and he was moved along,” Hegseth said, accusing Ullyot of mispresenting things to the press. “We did right by him. We tried to help. He’s spinning it otherwise. It’s too bad. It’s politics I guess.”
President Donald Trump has stood behind Hegseth amid the controversies, and the White House denied a report by National Public Radio that Trump is looking at potential replacements to lead the Pentagon.
“Pete’s doing a great job,” Trump said Monday, touting military recruitment numbers with Hegseth in command. “It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that’s what he’s doing.”
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.