Trump Throws Support Behind Hegseth Amidst Shocking Second Signal Chat Leak

President Donald Trump reiterated his support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, amidst reports from The New York Times detailing Hegseth’s discussions of U.S. military operations. The reports claim Hegseth shared sensitive information about a bombing campaign in Yemen through a second group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which included private conversations with his family.

“Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction there is? There’s none. Pete’s doing a great job. Everybody’s happy with him,” Trump stated defensively, referring to the Iranian-backed group operating in Yemen.

The New York Times’ coverage included incidents from earlier in the month when Hegseth’s messaging practices came under fire after a high-level chat mistakenly included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, leading to public disclosures about military operations. This group comprised several top officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Responding to the Times’ latest report while attending the White House Easter Egg Roll, Hegseth did not reject the claims concerning his communications. He criticized the media, suggesting that the backlash was driven by disgruntled former employees revealing information to discredit him. “What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out,” he remarked.

In light of these developments, the Department of Defense has launched an investigation to examine compliance with policies regarding the use of commercial messaging for official discussions. This inquiry follows requests from U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee leaders, who expressed concerns over potential breaches of operational security.

While the majority of congressional Republicans maintain their support for Hegseth, some, like Rep. Don Bacon from Nebraska, voiced apprehensions about the risks associated with using perceived secure applications like Signal. Bacon stated in a social media post that “admin officials must assume their phones are closely monitored by China & Russia,” underscoring the potential vulnerabilities in communication for high-ranking officials.