By Janet Ekstract NEW YORK -It appears that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire from all sides, according to media reports. Hegseth’s actions came into question a second time after it was revealed by The New York Times and CNN that he discussed military plans in a second chat on the Signal app with his wife and brother. This prompted some U.S. senators to ask why his relatives would need to know U.S. intelligence plans. Then Hegseth decided to go on Fox News to explain himself but faced a plethora of direct question in the interview about his inner circle being in chaos. This led some officials in the Trump administration to view his interview as damaging, according to sources CNN spoke to. Though the common view is that Trump most likely will not fire Hegseth after this second revelation, the damage to his reputation and his ability to carry out his duties as defense secretary are clearly questionable. Media reports indicate that Trump still supports Hegseth and there have been conversations about his performance.
Meanwhile, reports are that some senior officials at the White House would like to see changes in how Hegseth’s team in the front office of the Pentagon, operates. According to reports, the White House is aware of what is being labeled as ‘chaos’ at the Pentagon especially after three key people close to Hegseth were dismissed. Multiple sources who spoke to CNN said that currently, Hegseth’s most trusted advisers are his wife, his lawyer and his junior military aid who many expect to be appointed his new chief of staff. Two sources told CNN that others including another adviser close to Hegseth, retired Army Sgt. Maj. Eric Geressy who served with Hegseth in Iraq, told colleagues they are so frustrated they may resign. Even worse is that this week, some of Hegseth’s closest former advisers issued warnings about turmoil within the Pentagon. According to news sources, those include former spokesman John Ullyot and three former senior officials Hegseth fired last week: top adviser Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the deputy secretary of defense. In a statement obtained by CNN, Ullyot said: “It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plan to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president – who deserves better from his senior leadership.”
On Tuesday, congressional Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska increased the pressure for accountability on Hegseth. In an interview on “The Lead” with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Bacon said: “I would hold them accountable, and I’d fire them,” referring to what he would do if he were president and his defense secretary acted as Hegseth did. Bacon added that using Signal to relay sensitive information was “very foolish.” According to multiple sources, Hegseth doesn’t follow Department of Defense procedures and his past staff choices have wreaked havoc at the Pentagon. Hegseth was already controversial for his past behavior at public institutions and his lack of experience, before his confirmation as defense secretary. But his continuing to blame his former staff for “leaks to the media” does not bode well for his reputation, especially since some of the “leaks” reveal situations the media revealed that President Trump wasn’t even privy to.
