Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Fires Back at Group Chat Leak Claims, Calls It a 'Sabotage' Play

Pete Hegseth, the Defense Secretary, is not having it when it comes to fresh allegations that he leaked sensitive military info about a Yemen airstrike in a group chat with his wife and brother. On Tuesday, he went on morning TV to call the whole thing an attempt to "sabotage" President Trump's plans, dismissing the story as just another media frenzy.

"If you remember, I said no one is texting war plans," Hegseth said, emphasizing that from his Pentagon post, what was shared on Signal was all informal and unclassified—mostly about media coordination. According to him, there are no secret war strategies being sent over family chats.

Hegseth claimed that the latest uproar started with left-leaning reporters and has snowballed into a bigger effort to undermine Trump and his administration. He accused "disgruntled former employees" of trying to "save their a--" by feeding the press, and argued that the focus should be on U.S. military wins—like pushing back the Houthis and toughening up the southern border—rather than internal drama.

"It's not what I do. It's not how we operate," he insisted, brushing off the new round of allegations. Hegseth maintained that he's all about supporting the war fighters and the president, not getting tangled in leaks or rumors.

The drama doesn't end there. Last week, three top Pentagon officials were placed on leave as the Defense Department continues its leak investigation. Colin Carroll, Dan Caldwell, and Darin Selnick were all shown the door, and by Friday, two defense officials confirmed they'd officially been fired.

"If we think you are leaking to the press, that's a very real problem. We take that very seriously at the Pentagon," Hegseth warned, making it pretty clear that loose lips still sink ships—especially when it comes to the media.

Meanwhile, more changes are happening on Hegseth's team. His chief of staff, Joe Kasper, is moving to a new role, and press aide John Ullyot—now an ex-employee—published a fiery piece predicting Hegseth's days are numbered. Hegseth shot back, saying Ullyot was helped and moved along for a reason, and now he's just spinning his own story in the press. Classic D.C. drama, honestly.

To top it off, Carroll and Selnick are reportedly planning to sue over their firings, so don't expect this soap opera to wrap up any time soon.

President Trump, never one to shy away from a headline, publicly defended Hegseth at the White House Easter Egg Roll—praising his Defense Secretary and dismissing the New York Times report as "fake news."