Pete Hegseth shared Yemen attack details in second Signal chat – report

Summary

A recent revelation has uncovered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sharing detailed U.S. military plans for Yemen strikes in private Signal group chats with family and associates, raising serious security concerns. These chats included sensitive information about F/A-18 Hornets' flight schedules, one of which was mistakenly exposed when Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a separate chat led by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. The incident has sparked criticism over Hegseth's leadership at the Pentagon, with reports indicating he used personal communication devices and that some of his inner circle were dismissed for unauthorized leaks.

Additional Summaries

Before the US launched military strikes on Yemen in March, Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, shared sensitive attack plans with a private Signal group chat he created, including his wife and other associates. The existence of this chat, which Waltz later accidentally included after adding Jeffrey Goldberg, has raised concerns about improper communication within the Trump administration’s Pentagon, as officials like Hegseth’s brother were fired for leaks.

The Guardian has independently confirmed the existence of Hegseth’s own private group chat. According to the Times, Hegseth used his private phone, rather than a government device, to access the Signal chat with his family and friends. CNN reported later on Sunday that three sources familiar with Hegseth’s private Signal group confirmed to the broadcaster that he had used it to share Yemen attack plans before the strikes were launched. The same information was also confirmed to the Associated Press by a source familiar with the group chat who said that it included 13 people. Shortly after the news of the second Signal chat broke, Politico published an opinion article by Hegseth’s former press secretary, John Ullyot, which began: “It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon.