Whistleblower storm: White House defends Hegseth amidst leaks
The White House refutes allegations concerning Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's involvement in a Signal group where data about U.S. military attacks in Yemen was leaked online. The Trump administration characterized the matter as a minor issue, describing it to Fox News as not worth significant attention.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has found himself at the center of controversy after reports emerged of his involvement in a Signal group where military attacks on Yemen were discussed. Authorities in Washington describe these reports as "another old story."
The White House backs Hegseth. "The whole Pentagon against you"
"The president stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon. This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and against the monumental change that you are trying to implement," said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. "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," added Anna Kelly, deputy White House spokeswoman.
Hegseth has already criticized reports about the Signal group leak, saying, "this is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations," he said during an event at the White House.
Last week, the Pentagon dismissed several of Hegseth's advisors in connection with an investigation into the leaks. Among those dismissed were senior advisor Dan Caldwell, Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll. "It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon," wrote former Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot in Politico. He called on Trump himself to dismiss Hegseth.
Leavitt maintained that Hegseth did not disclose any classified information via Signal. She believes the latest reports stem from leaks by individuals opposed to the Secretary’s reforms, accusing them of spreading falsehoods to mainstream media outlets.
The matter was raised by "The Atlantic," whose editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was allegedly accidentally added to a group discussion on the Signal messenger involving top figures in the Trump administration. There, he saw data concerning a planned attack against Houthi fighters in Yemen.
