Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses It may have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, but now he is facing another fight. This time it’s the lawn at the Pentagon home.
From allegations of sexual assault and drinking to the beating of two signal chats, it plagues the controversy, from Trump to the first nomination of him as Secretary of Defense, suggesting that Hegses might be on the way.
The controversy for the new signal, along with Op-Ed, is just the latest blow to what the Trump administration claims is a sustained effort against Heggs as a secretary, dating back to his nomination.
Scrutiny rose after a New York Times report on Sunday said Heggs shared information about Houthis about military airstrikes in March in a signal messaging app group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyers.
That incident follows a similar episode in March, when Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to the Signal Group Chat alongside Vice President Hegses. jd vance Others to discuss the same attack on Houthis.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses faces a new battle. (Franco Brana/AFP via Getty Images)
While the White House continues to support Hegstes, a series of democratic coalitions and several lawmakers have come to an end. I’m asking for Hegzes to resign.
Senator Jack Reed, Dr., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee rankings. i. Recent Signal chat application.
“Since he was appointed, he warned that he lacked the experience, capabilities and character to run the Department of Defense. Those objections seemed well-established in light of ongoing disruption, dysfunction and the massive firing under Hegseth’s leadership,” Reid said in a statement Sunday. “Accountability starts at the top and I have serious concerns about Secretary Hegses’ ability to maintain the trust and trust of U.S. service members.”
Meanwhile, Vance told reporters Wednesday that he believes Hegses is doing a “great job.”
In response to a video post about Vance’s X publishing remarks, Pentaton’s quick response team replied: “We can’t stop. We can’t be deterred.”
The defense secretary has historically received bipartisan support in the Senate, but the Upper Chamber issued no extensive support for Heggs’ nomination.
The Senate confirmed Hegses along the party’s line in January, with all 47 Democrats opposed his nomination.
All senators except Kirsten Gillibrand, Dn.Y., voted in 2017 to confirm Trump’s first Secretary of Defense. Similarly, the Senate voted in 2019 at a margin of 90-8, confirming Trump’s second Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper.
Hegseth shared details of Yemen Strike on the Second Signal Chat: Report
Trump’s first Secretary of Defense, former US Secretary of Defense James Matisse, received widespread bipartisan support from the Senate during the confirmation process.
Hegseth first fired after allegations of sexual assault appeared leading up to his confirmation. For example, he told lawmakers in a written response during the confirmation process that he paid $50,000 as part of a settlement payment to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017. A police report on the incident allegedly claimed that the woman sexually assaulted her in a hotel room, confiscated her phone and clogged the door.
Heggs told lawmakers he was “misacrificed” by a woman.
Hegseth also faced allegations of alcohol misuse during the verification process. In response, Heggs told lawmakers he wasn’t the “perfect person” but told lawmakers he was subject to a “media-organized, coordinated smear campaign.”
However, the controversy has not left Hegustes since the Senate confirmed him in January.
Hegses’ role in the original signal chat, including Atlantic editor-in-chief Goldberg, was in the spotlight in March following his initial report. Still, the team of national security adviser Mike Waltz was responsible for creating the chat.
Hegseth says his initial signal chat with Goldberg and “war plans” with his wife are not discussed. Furthermore, he said that all the arguments made through the signal were uncategorized.
“I’ve said it over and over, no one’s texting the war plan,” Heggs told Fox News Tuesday. “I look at war plans every day. What was shared about signals back then characterizes it, but it was an informal, uncategorized adjustment, such as media adjustments. That’s what I said from the start.”
The layoffs of staff at the Pentagon also shed light on Hegses’ leadership.
John Urito, a former senior communications officer with the Pentagon, who resigned from the post under Hegses in April, wrote that the sudden Friday shootings of three of Hegses’ “most loyal” advisers were on alert and “inexplicable.” His deputy chief of staff, Darrin Sernick and Chief of Staff of Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Carroll, all aide Dan Caldwell to Heggs, were expelled.
“Dysfunction is a major distraction for the president right now. He deserves better from a senior leader,” Uriot wrote during Politico’s Sunday surgery.
“Trump has a strong record to explain his top staff, and given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegses remain in his role for a long time.”
Support for Hegseth is also cracking within Trump’s own party. For example, Rep. Don Bacon, a former Air Force general who works for the House Armed Services Committee, said Monday that Hegses is an “amateur” and does not believe Hegses has experience leading the Pentagon. Those concerns said Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska.
R-Neb. Rep. Don Bacon was the first Republican to call on Hegses to step down. (AP photo)
NPR reported Monday that the White House is serving as the new Secretary of Defense. The stories were based on anonymous US authorities who were not allowed to speak to the media.
Meanwhile, the White House has pushed back allegations that it is focusing on Heggs’ alternatives.
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“He’s bringing monumental changes to the Pentagon, and there are many people in the city who refuse monumental changes. Frankly, I’ve seen a smear campaign against the Secretary of Defense since the moment President Trump announced his nomination in the US Senate.”
“Again. The President stands strongly behind the changes he is bringing to the Pentagon and the results he has achieved so far speak for itself,” Leavitt said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
