U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took part in the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House’s South Lawn in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2025.
President Donald Trump on Monday firmly supported U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a second report claimed Hegseth had shared classified information through a private messaging app. The leak involved details of a military strike in Yemen from March and was sent to a group chat that included Hegseth’s wife, brother, and his personal lawyer.
Trump stood by Hegseth and praised his performance. “Pete’s doing a great job. Everybody’s happy with him,” Trump said. When asked if he still had faith in Hegseth, Trump replied, “Oh totally.” He added, “Ask the Houthis how he’s doing,” pointing to the recent U.S. attacks on the Houthi group.
The leak came to light through a second Signal chat. It reportedly included about a dozen people. Some members, like Hegseth’s brother—a liaison to the Pentagon—and his wife, a former TV producer, had access to sensitive information. The group was formed during Hegseth’s confirmation process to handle planning matters.
Sources shared that Hegseth had been warned before not to share military details over unsecured apps like Signal. Still, he went ahead with it. The Pentagon’s Inspector General is now looking into his use of the app and the March 15 strike details he shared through it.
This incident follows another recent leak that caused an internal shake-up at the Pentagon. Last week, several top officials were removed during an ongoing investigation into those leaks.
A White House spokesperson denied claims that the administration was looking for a new defense secretary. They insisted that the president still supports Hegseth and plans no changes.
On Monday, Hegseth defended himself in front of reporters. He blamed the media and some former Pentagon employees for creating unnecessary trouble. “I have spoken to the president, and we are going to continue fighting on the same page all the way,” he said.
Hegseth’s appointment as defense secretary was already controversial. He barely got enough votes in the Senate, with several Democrats and some Republicans opposing him. Following this new report, at least nine Democratic senators have called for his resignation. They believe the second leak proves he cannot be trusted with such a high position.
Republican lawmakers have mostly stayed silent. However, Congressman Don Bacon expressed concern and said sharing military details on Signal was unacceptable. Others in Trump’s party have not commented publicly.
This is not the first time Trump has removed defense secretaries over disagreements or loyalty issues. But Hegseth remains one of Trump’s closest allies. He has supported Trump’s policies, from sending troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to questioning diversity efforts in the military.
In another twist, one of Hegseth’s top advisers, Dan Caldwell, was forced to leave the Pentagon recently. Officials linked him to the earlier leak and escorted him out. Caldwell responded online, saying they were wrongly accused and treated unfairly.
Following Caldwell’s exit, two other staff members—Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll—were placed on leave and dismissed last Friday.
