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Donald Trump is standing behind Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, after reports that he shared details of a March attack on Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in a message group that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
The revelations that Hegseth used the unclassified messaging system Signal for a second time to share highly sensitive security details come at a delicate moment for him, with senior officials ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak investigation into his earlier use of the app.
“The president stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon,” Leavitt told Fox News on Monday. “And this is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement.”
Hegseth shared details of the attack similar to those revealed last month by The Atlantic magazine after its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly included in a separate chat on the Signal app, Reuters reported on Sunday.
Watch LIVE: White House Easter Egg Roll
Oliver O'Connell21 April 2025 15:18
Full story: Hegseth shared Yemen attack details in second Signal chat that included his wife and brother, report says
The paper says details, including flight schedules for the warplanes involved, were shared in the group chat on March 15.
The claims follow shock revelations last month that the upcoming strike was discussed by senior administration figures, including Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on Signal, a commercial messaging up, instead of using the high-security communications systems available to them.
The story came to light because Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, had accidentally been added to the chat.
Rhian Lubin and Phil Thomas report.
Oliver O'Connell21 April 2025 15:16
Embattled Hegseth attends White House Easter event
Good morning.
The paper says details, including flight schedules for the warplanes involved, were shared in the group chat on March 15.
Here’s a strident Hegseth talking to the media this morning as he arrived at the White House Easter Egg Roll event.
Oliver O'Connell21 April 2025 15:12
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