Pentagon chief under scrutiny for wife's presence at key meetings
Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth took his wife, Jennifer, to at least two meetings where security issues were discussed, as reported by the "Wall Street Journal," citing participants of these events. Hegseth's wife is a former journalist for Fox News.
One of the meetings where Hegseth was accompanied by his wife took place on March 6 at the Pentagon. It was a conversation with UK Defense Minister John Healey. "WSJ" noted that it was a delicate moment in transatlantic relations because the day before, the U.S. had suspended intelligence support for Ukraine.
The meeting also included the British Army's Chief of Staff, Admiral Tony Radakin. According to the newspaper's sources, the politicians discussed the reasons behind the American decision to suspend intelligence support for Ukraine and further military cooperation between the U.S. and the UK.
Jennifer is not an employee of the Pentagon. Although partners are sometimes granted access to classified information through security clearance, in Hegseth's wife's case, the U.S. Department of Defense has not disclosed whether she has such access. The newspaper reported that Jennifer did not respond to journalists' inquiries on this matter.
The Pentagon chief's wife is not the only member of the Hegseth family involved in Pete's daily work. Philip Hegseth, the U.S. Defense Minister's brother, also travels with him and was recently appointed as the liaison between the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.
According to "WSJ," Jennifer also participated in a meeting at NATO headquarters where officials discussed support for Ukraine. Sources revealed it was a meeting of the Ukraine contact group, a forum for coordinating arms supplies to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
When you have a meeting with ministers or high-ranking NATO officials, sensitive security issues are always discussed there, assessed Republican Chuck Hagel, who was the Secretary of Defense under President Barack Obama.
The Trump administration under fire
In his opinion, taking someone who is not an official to such a meeting can make participants start wondering what is happening and thus cause unnecessary concern.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense, along with, among others, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Vice President J.D. Vance, recently came under fire because they created a group on the Signal messenger where they talked and informed each other about the U.S. forces' attack on Houthi rebel positions in Yemen. They mistakenly added the editor-in-chief of "The Atlantic" magazine to this chat, who at first couldn’t believe the situation and later disclosed the contents of the "secret" conversations.
