Republicans get new case of heartburn over Hegseth
Senate Republicans are experiencing a new case of heartburn over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a spate of Pentagon staff firings in recent weeks and the emergence of a second Signal chat reportedly detailing attack plans in a month’s time.
Hegseth once again found himself squarely in the spotlight over the past week after a trio of top aides were fired from the Defense Department amid a leak investigation.
Gasoline was added to the fire on Sunday as John Ullyot, an ex-Defense Department spokesperson, wrote in an op-ed that the Pentagon is in “disarray under Hegseth’s leadership” and the New York Times reported that Hegseth started and shared attack plans against the Houthis in a second Signal chat, this one including his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
The avalanche of news has done little to instill confidence with some Senate GOP lawmakers, who narrowly confirmed him in January. Now, some members worry the string of news will zap him of any remaining goodwill in the conference.
“Confidence in him will be lost,” one Senate Republican told The Hill, specifically mentioning the ousted staffers and the Signal revelation as the driving forces. “This is like one thing after the other.”
The senator said those concerns are spreading as negative news continues to trickle out.
“There may be a little bit of buyer’s remorse,” the member continued, adding that some in the conference are starting to “scratch their heads” at Hegseth’s actions of late.
A second Senate Republican said that while many members are in “wait and see mode” on the Defense secretary, they are sure the string of negative news is not at its end.
“It won’t stop,” the second Senate GOP member said. “We all know that.”
In the House, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a member of the Armed Services Committee and a former brigadier general in the Air Force who specialized in intelligence, called the Signal chat “totally unacceptable,” adding, “I wouldn’t tolerate it if I was in charge.”
“I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience…I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern,” he said in remarks first reported by Politico.
The Defense secretary lashed out at criticisms on Monday, particularly about The New York Times’ revelation of the second Signal chat. He laid blame at the feet of the media, but did not issue an outright denial.
“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,” Hegseth said from the White House Easter Egg Roll about The Times’ report.
“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,” Hegseth said. “Not going to work with me, because we’re changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of war-fighters. And anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news doesn’t matter.”
The latest Times report comes just over a month after the first installment of “Signalgate,” when The Atlantic reported Hegseth and other top administration officials used Signal to discuss detailed plans for an attack on the Houthis in Yemen. That bombshell report emerged after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief was mistakenly added to the group. Hegseth remains under investigation by the Pentagon’s inspector general over whether he shared classified information in the chat — an investigation requested by the top Republican and top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The New York Times reported Hegseth shared similar information in the second chat. While Signal is an encrypted app, it is not considered as secure as more traditional forms of government communication and security experts have expressed concerns about using it to transmit sensitive information.
The latest round of headlines also come roughly three months after Hegseth squeaked across the finish line in the upper chamber in what was the closest call for any of President Trump’s choices for his Cabinet. Vice President Vance had to break a tie after three Republican senators voted against his confirmation.
Throughout his confirmation process, he faced myriad questions that imperiled his chances, headlined by reports of excessive drinking, an allegation of sexual assault and accusations he had mismanaged two veterans organizations he led. Hegseth denied all the allegations.
While most of those questions have remained dormant since his confirmation, those about his ability to shepherd the Defense Department, which has 2.1 million service members and a budget of $850 billion, have persisted with the ouster of key staffers, some of whom were long-time allies of the secretary.
“Is this repeating and validating the allegations that were made about him in terms of a toxic work environment?” the first Senate GOP member said. “He’s turning over people that have dedicated their careers to him.”
Those queries were only heightened by Ullyot’s op-ed, which described the past month at the department as “total chaos.”
“[E]ven strong backers of the secretary like me must admit: The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration,” Ullyot wrote. “In the first three months of his second term, Trump has continued that great record on national security, in particular refocusing the Defense Department on its core mission of preparing to fight and win wars. Unfortunately, after a terrible month, the Pentagon focus is no longer on warfighting, but on endless drama.”
Despite the string of negative news, Republicans don’t expect an imminent change in leadership at the Pentagon. One Senate GOP aide pointed to the intense effort to get him the requisite 51 votes only months ago as part of the reason.
“There was so much capital invested to get the guy confirmed. You can’t just throw him out after [three] months,” the aide said, conceding that the current situation is “certainly a mess.”
“I actually think the nature of the confirmation almost helps him with job security right now. People are going to be even more embarrassed if we fought this confirmation battle for a three-month secretary.”
And Hegseth continues to have the backing of the president, who panned questions about his future atop the Pentagon as a “waste of time.”
“Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction there is. There’s none. Pete’s doing a great job,” Trump said from the Egg Roll. “Everybody’s happy with him.”