War Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing mounting criticism after a Pentagon watchdog report revealed that the military chief possibly endangered American lives after leaking sensitive war plans in a Signal group chat.
In March, the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg claimed that Hegseth leaked war-related plans in a Signal group chat, sending shockwaves throughout Washington, D.C.
The White House dismissed Goldberg’s claims, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the left-wing writer an “anti-Trump hater.”
“He is an anti-Trump hater; he is a registered Democrat. Goldberg’s wife is also a registered Democrat and a big Democrat donor who used to work under who? Hillary Clinton,” Leavitt said at the time.
Hegseth was subjected to intense criticism from his critics over the Signal scandal, with many calling for his resignation.
President Donald Trump, however, said he would not fire the Pentagon leader.
“I don’t fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts,” the president said at the time.
Nonetheless, it has now been reported that Hegseth’s actions put American troops at risk. The review, dubbed “Signalgate,” was conducted by the Department of War, as the Daily Mail reported.
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D), one of six Democrats who called on U.S. troops to refuse so-called “illegal orders” from the Trump administration, lambasted Hegseth over the Signal leak.
The Michigan Democrat called for Hegseth to be held accountable for his actions.
“The report reinforced what was already publicly known: @PeteHegseth used a personal cell phone and an unclassified app to share sensitive operational information, including strike times and specific weapons systems used. That kind of sensitive information, on a hackable personal cell phone and DOD-prohibited app, put the lives of our service members at risk,” Slotkin wrote.
“If any uniformed military officer had done the same, he or she would be held accountable. Or more likely, they would simply have owned up to the additional risk they brought to their fellow service members. Secretary Hegseth should have taken accountability from the start,” she added.
Hegseth has refused to back down and has not cowered to the criticism that he faces. In fact, the War Secretary has made light of the situation.
During the Fox Nation Patriot Awards in November, Hegseth joked that he would “hit up” former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on Signal.
“I see Mike Waltz! Mike, I’ll hit you up on Signal later!” Hegseth said.
Waltz inadvertently added Goldberg to the group chat, leading the Atlantic’s very own to receive classified war secrets.
Following severe backlash, Waltz was removed as National Security adviser and now serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN).
