Is Pete Hegseth’s job at risk after leaking Signal chats on Yemen to his family?

Pressure is building on United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth following a second disclosure that he shared sensitive military information via an unsecured Signal messaging group.

The former television host turned Pentagon chief is now at the centre of a growing controversy over operational leaks that reportedly exposed classified airstrike details in chats involving non-governmental individuals, including his wife.

Reports from now The New York Times and previously The Atlantic confirm that Hegseth used Signal, a secure messaging platform, to communicate confidential military plans.

While the first breach involved a group chat that inadvertently included a journalist , a second group, created by Hegseth himself, included his wife Jennifer Rauchet, his brother, his personal attorney, and roughly a dozen others.

This second chat reportedly received minute-by-minute updates regarding American airstrikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen in March .

Concerns are mounting that the information, if intercepted, could have endangered American pilots. Houthi rebels have already downed two US drones, highlighting the risk posed by compromised communications.

Sources familiar with the chats claim that Hegseth shared operational data including the exact flight schedules of F/A-18 Hornets involved in the strikes — details that typically remain tightly controlled.

A “full-blown meltdown”at the Pentagon

The fallout from the leaks has triggered a broader crisis at the Department of Defence. Multiple senior staffers have departed in recent weeks, with some claiming they were forced out.

Among those who left were Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick — former advisers who were escorted from the Pentagon. All three had longstanding ties to Hegseth, particularly through the conservative advocacy group Concerned Veterans for America.

In a joint statement published on X, the trio defended their service, saying, “All three of us served our country honorably in uniform — for two of us, this included deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, based on our collective service, we understand the importance of information security and worked every day to protect it.”

They also stated they were never formally informed of any wrongdoing.

John Ullyot, a former Pentagon spokesperson who also resigned recently, published an op-ed in Politico denouncing the leadership at the Pentagon.

“It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president – who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot wrote.

He called the situation a “full-blown meltdown,” expressing deep concern about the internal environment under Hegseth.

Capitol Hill calls for Hegseth’s ouster

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are reacting strongly. Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, described the second Signal chat incident as “another troubling example of Secretary Hegseth’s reckless disregard for the laws and protocols that every other military service member is required to follow.”

He urged Hegseth to “immediately explain why he reportedly texted classified information that could endanger American service members’ lives on a commercial app that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.”

US Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a combat veteran, issued a scathing rebuke: “How many times does Pete Hegseth need to leak classified intelligence before Donald Trump and Republicans understand that he isn’t only a f*cking liar, he is a threat to our national security? Every day he stays in his job is another day our troops’ lives are endangered by his singular stupidity. He must resign in disgrace.”

Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire added to the criticism, pointing out the responsibility lies not just with Hegseth but with the president who appointed him.

“But we must not forget that ultimate responsibility here lies with President Trump for selecting a former weekend TV host, without any experience successfully leading a large and complex organisation, to run our government’s biggest department and make life and death decisions for our military and country,” she stated.

White House stands by Hegseth — for now

Despite the uproar, the White House has maintained a public stance of support for Hegseth . Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied rumours that Trump is seeking a replacement.

“This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News.

She also labelled NPR’s report about a possible replacement search as “total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about.”

Trump has echoed that message, expressing confidence in his embattled Defence Secretary. Speaking at the White House Easter event, Trump remarked, “He’s doing a great job — ask the Houthis how he’s doing.”

The president dismissed the leaks as “a waste of time” and attributed the wave of criticism to internal resistance: “Just ask the Houthis how he’s doing. It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories. It sounds like disgruntled employees. He was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people and that’s what he’s doing. You don’t always have friends when you do that.”

Donald Trump Jr also weighed in on X, defending Hegseth and attacking his critics.

In response to Ullyot’s op-ed, he wrote, “This guy is not America First. I’ve been hearing for years that he works his ass off to subvert my father’s agenda. That ends today.”

How Hegseth is defending himself

Hegseth himself has consistently framed the backlash as a targeted campaign against him by hostile media and former Pentagon insiders.

“What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax,” he said to reporters at the Easter event.

“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 added, “Not going to work with me, because we’re changing the defence department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of war-fighters. And anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news doesn’t matter.”

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell also dismissed the reporting as sensationalised and inaccurate. “Another day, another old story – back from the dead,” he posted on X.

“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story.”

Will Hegseth be forced to resign?

NPR has exclusively reported that the White House is looking to replace Hegseth, a report that the White House refutes.

This controversy adds further strain on a defence secretary whose confirmation was already controversial. Hegseth was narrowly confirmed by the Senate after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.

Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell opposed his nomination. Despite the resistance, many Republicans ultimately backed him, including Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, and Senators Thom Tillis and Joni Ernst.

Ernst, a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor, faced pressure from within the party to support Hegseth despite past remarks and allegations he has denied. Tillis, who is up for re-election in a military-heavy state, risked his bipartisan reputation with his vote.

For Trump, who in his first term frequently replaced cabinet officials, the situation with Hegseth stands out.

Unlike earlier dismissals such as Rex Tillerson, Michael Flynn, or James Mattis, Trump has yet to fire a cabinet secretary in his second term. This may be due to the loyalty-first approach of Trump’s second-term appointments, with Hegseth emblematic of that strategy.

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With inputs from agencies