US chat scandal widens Hegseth allegedly also sent military plans to wife

dpa

21.4.2025 - 07:15

There is no end to the US government's chat scandal. The Secretary of Defense is also alleged to have shared military information with his wife. The pressure on Pete Hegseth is mounting.

DPA

21.04.2025, 07:15

21.04.2025, 07:19

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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is alleged to have shared sensitive military information in a private signal chat - including with his wife.
The incident has led to new criticism and calls for his resignation.
Hegseth is already under investigation for a similar affair involving high-ranking members of the government; both chats concerned a US military operation against the Huthi in Yemen.

According to media reports, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is also said to have shared military plans with his wife in another group chat. Citing several people familiar with the matter, the New York Times reported that the politician had shared detailed information about attacks in Yemen in mid-March in the private chat on the commercial communication app Signal. According to the report, the wife does not work in the Ministry of Defense.

Hegseth is facing new criticism as a result of the media report and the pressure on him is increasing. The minority leader of the Democrats in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, wrote on X: "Pete Hegseth must be fired." Only weeks ago, an affair surrounding a group chat between high-ranking government officials, including Hegseth, made very big waves.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell jumped to the defense secretary's defense and posted on X that "the Trump-hating media" continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone who supports US President Donald Trump's agenda. Parnell claimed that the reports about the second group chat were based on complaints from former employees as the only source.

According to the media, there had recently been a series of dismissals. The Pentagon spokesperson stated that there was no classified information in any Signal chat.

Brother also in the chat

The US broadcaster CNN also reported on the second group chat, citing insiders. Hegseth's brother and his personal lawyer are also said to have been members of the chat - both have jobs at the Pentagon, according to the media reports.

The case follows the affair surrounding a secret group chat involving high-ranking members of the government. At the end of March, the US magazine "The Atlantic" made the contents of the chat public after its editor-in-chief was - presumably inadvertently - invited to the Signal group by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. An investigation into this chat is already underway by the internal oversight of the US Department of Defense.

The members of the group chat were the top US national security leaders: in addition to Hegseth, they included Trump's deputy JD Vance, Waltz, the head of the US foreign intelligence service CIA, John Ratcliffe, and the intelligence coordinator Tulsi Gabbard. The chat was about a US military operation against the Huthi militia in Yemen in mid-March. Hegseth provided detailed information about weapons and attack times.

The Pentagon's internal oversight is investigating whether Hegseth improperly shared operational plans for a US military operation against the Houthi militia in Yemen via the commercial app - and whether regulations on confidentiality and the retention of government documents were complied with.

Hegseth is said to have created the second chat himself

According to the New York Times, the second chat that has now come to light is also said to have been about military plans in this context. Hegseth is said to have created the second chat himself.

In January, around a dozen members from his personal and professional circle are said to have been part of the Signal group - this is said to have been before Hegseth was sworn in as Secretary of Defense. He is said to have used the chat from his private phone.