Trump defends Hegseth when the second Signal chat is made public, accusing him of "anonymous smears."
On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the disclosure that, in a second Signal group chat in March, he and his brother and wife discussed specifics of an impending operation on Houthis in Yemen.
Hegseth criticized the media for what he called "anonymous slander" and those he claimed were "disgruntled" former employees in an interview with reporters at the White House Easter Egg Roll, which he attended with his family.
"The president and I have had a conversation, and we will keep battling. "Always on the same page," Hegseth remarked.
While answering questions from reporters at the White House party, President Donald Trump defended Hegseth and stated that he still had "great confidence" in him.
"Here we go one more. A complete waste of time. Trump praised Hegseth, saying, "He is doing a terrific job."
Additionally, the president said, "Ask the Houthis how he is doing."
According to sources who spoke to ABC News, Hegseth alerted his brother, his personal attorney, and his wife Jennifer—who is not employed by the Defense Department—about an impending attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen via a Signal message chat.
Hegseth was asked to comment on the reports on Monday, so he did not specifically refute them.
After obtaining anonymous information from irate former workers, they attempt to harm people's reputations by slashing and burning them. "They will not cooperate with me because we are reorganizing the Defense Department, returning the Pentagon to combatants, and anonymous slander from unhappy former workers on outdated news do not matter," he stated.
According to reports, the second Signal chat took place around the same time as Hegseth and other senior Trump officials considered launching an attack on Houthis using the for-profit app. Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, unintentionally joined himself to the discussion, which is how that text chain was discovered. Hegseth's use of Signal to discuss military actions is now being examined by the independent inspector general at the Pentagon.
When asked about the most recent disclosure on "Fox & Friends" on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that "the president stands solidly behind Secretary Hegseth" and that Hegseth "is doing a wonderful job managing the Pentagon."
Investigations into any leaks involving the first known group conversation, which involved top aides and other members of Hegseth's team—at least three of whom have since been sacked in connection with the investigation—may become more difficult if Signal is used to discuss secret military operations.
Since then, those officials—Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick—have defended themselves against what they claim are unfounded charges.
In a joint statement on X on April 19, they stated, "At this moment, we still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still a current inquiry, or if there was even a true investigation of 'leaks' to begin with."
In her Monday response to the Hegseth story, Leavitt supported the defense secretary while also attempting to place the blame on former staff members.
Leavitt stated on Fox that "the president and the administration have taken a very hard stand against anyone who leaks, especially sensitive and classified information that can put our troops and our battle fighters at risk." "And as you can see, the secretary has taken very aggressive action to bring the Pentagon's leakers under control, and I am sure he will continue to do so."
