Trump supports Hegseth following the disclosure of attack plans in a Signal chat
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, following reports that Hegseth had shared information about a March attack on Yemen's Houthis in a messaging group that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
TroibNews 
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, following reports indicating that Hegseth had disclosed details of a March attack on Yemen's Houthis in a messaging group that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
The news of Hegseth utilizing the unclassified messaging app Signal to divulge sensitive security information for the second time arises during a challenging period for him and the Pentagon, especially after senior officials were removed last week amid an internal leak investigation.
"Pete's doing a great job. Everybody's happy with him," Trump stated. When asked about his confidence in Hegseth, Trump affirmed, "Oh totally."
"Ask the Houthis how he's doing," he added.
Under Trump's administration, the U.S. military has intensified its bombing campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi group.
In the second chat, it was reported that Hegseth shared information about the attack similar to previously disclosed details by The Atlantic magazine after its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally included in a different Signal group, as stated by Reuters on Sunday.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt refuted a report from National Public Radio suggesting that the Trump administration had begun searching for a new defense secretary.
The second Signal group, initially formed during Hegseth's confirmation process, was meant to discuss administrative matters rather than detailed military strategy. The group included Hegseth's brother, who works as a liaison for the Department of Homeland Security to the Pentagon.
According to publicly available Pentagon images, Hegseth's wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, has attended sensitive meetings with foreign military officials.
A source familiar with the situation informed Reuters that Hegseth had previously been cautioned against sharing information over unsecured systems like Signal before his actions last month.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon Inspector General's office announced that it was initiating an investigation into Hegseth's use of the unclassified commercial messaging application to coordinate the highly sensitive U.S. strikes on Houthis that took place on March 15.
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
The news of Hegseth utilizing the unclassified messaging app Signal to divulge sensitive security information for the second time arises during a challenging period for him and the Pentagon, especially after senior officials were removed last week amid an internal leak investigation.
"Pete's doing a great job. Everybody's happy with him," Trump stated. When asked about his confidence in Hegseth, Trump affirmed, "Oh totally."
"Ask the Houthis how he's doing," he added.
Under Trump's administration, the U.S. military has intensified its bombing campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi group.
In the second chat, it was reported that Hegseth shared information about the attack similar to previously disclosed details by The Atlantic magazine after its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally included in a different Signal group, as stated by Reuters on Sunday.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt refuted a report from National Public Radio suggesting that the Trump administration had begun searching for a new defense secretary.
The second Signal group, initially formed during Hegseth's confirmation process, was meant to discuss administrative matters rather than detailed military strategy. The group included Hegseth's brother, who works as a liaison for the Department of Homeland Security to the Pentagon.
According to publicly available Pentagon images, Hegseth's wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, has attended sensitive meetings with foreign military officials.
A source familiar with the situation informed Reuters that Hegseth had previously been cautioned against sharing information over unsecured systems like Signal before his actions last month.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon Inspector General's office announced that it was initiating an investigation into Hegseth's use of the unclassified commercial messaging application to coordinate the highly sensitive U.S. strikes on Houthis that took place on March 15.
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
