Trump Makes Critical Decision After Hegseth Allegedly Caught in Second Signal Chat Disaster

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Monday that President Donald Trump continues to back Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, following reports of a second incident involving a Signal group chat related to military matters.

According to The New York Times, which cited four anonymous individuals, this new disclosure involves a separate Signal chat initiated by Hegseth himself, apart from the one reportedly created by Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz prior to a military action against Houthi forces in Yemen. Hegseth’s chat reportedly included about a dozen trusted individuals, such as his wife Jennifer, his brother Phil, and his attorney Tim Parlatore.

Though both Phil Hegseth and Parlatore hold roles within the Pentagon, Jennifer — a former Fox News producer — does not. However, she reportedly joined her husband on overseas trips and participated in meetings with foreign dignitaries. The Signal group, titled “Defense | Team Huddle,” was launched in January, prior to Hegseth’s official confirmation as defense secretary.

The Times noted that the chat also involved Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff who is transitioning to another Defense Department position, along with ex-advisers Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick. Caldwell and Selnick were both dismissed last Friday over alleged leaks of sensitive information without authorization.

In a Sunday opinion column published in Politico, former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot sharply criticized the current leadership, claiming “the building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership.” Ullyot added, “The president deserves better than the current mishegoss at the Pentagon,” and suggested that if Trump were to remove Hegseth, “many in the secretary’s own inner circle will applaud quietly.”

Despite the backlash, Leavitt appeared on Fox News Monday to voice strong support, saying, “The President stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon.”

She continued, “Unfortunately, there have been people at that building who don’t like the change the secretary is trying to bring, so they are leaking, and they are lying to the mainstream media. We’ve seen this game played before.”

Addressing the issue himself on Monday, Hegseth dismissed the reports, saying, “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 criticized the media’s approach, stating, “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. Not gonna work with me, because we’re changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of warfighters.”

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell echoed that sentiment in a public statement, saying, “Another day, another old story — back from the dead.” He added, “This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article.”

Parnell further emphasized that no classified material had been shared in any Signal chat, regardless of how the media chooses to frame it. “What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump’s agenda,” he concluded.