The White House is looking to replace Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, NPR reported on Monday.
Quoting an anonymous U.S. not authorized to speak on the matter, the outlet noted the development comes as Hegseth faces new scandals, including sharing sensitive information in another Signal chat and a scathing op-ed from a former DOD official.
The White House disputed the claim, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the "story is total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about." "As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind" Hegseth, she added.
NPR did not give additional details about Hegseth's potential dismissal, but noted the mounting controversies engulfing him and the Department of Defense, starting with the initial sharing of highly sensitive information ahead of an attack on Yemen's Houthis where National Security Adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently added The Atlantic Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
During the weekend, The New York Times reported that Hegseth also shared the details of the March 15 attack in another chat that included his wife and about a dozen other people. The account said the details were similar to those detailed in the first chat, including flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets involved in the mission. The group chat with his wife was reportedly created before Hegseth was named Defense Secretary.
According to the report, Hegseth was already told to move anything that's work-related to a different phone. However, the Defense Secretary allegedly did not comply. An unnamed government official confirmed the existence of an "informal group chat" to the outlet. The official has denied that any classified and sensitive information has been discussed in said group chat.
Days before, John Ullyot, who recently resigned as the Pentagon's top spokesperson, said in a Politico op-ed that there is "total chaos" at the moment and that the "dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president." He went on to accuse Hegseth's team of "falsehoods" about why three top officials were fired last week and said the secretary is "now presiding over a strange and baffling purge" that left him without senior advisers.
Hegseth also reacted to the reports, saying: "What a big surprise that a bunch of leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out." "This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations," he added.
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