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The White House has expressed strong support for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth amid allegations regarding his handling of sensitive military information. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is fully behind Hegseth, who she claims is driving significant reform at the Pentagon.
“He is doing a tremendous job, and he is bringing monumental change to the Pentagon,” Leavitt asserted. She went on to suggest that the negative attention Hegseth has received may stem from opposition to the changes he is implementing, describing it as a “smear campaign” against him.
This defense follows a report from NBC News, which revealed that Hegseth had shared military plans via a Signal group chat shortly after receiving them in a secure manner on March 15. The chat included personal contacts, such as his wife and brother, raising concerns about the security of the information shared.
Despite the revelations, the White House maintains that the details Hegseth transmitted were not classified. Hegseth himself attributed the information leak to former Pentagon employees, whom he described as “leakers” with a history of undermining the department. “Once a leaker, always a leaker,” he remarked during an appearance on Fox News, adding his frustration towards what he perceives as sensationalized reporting from media outlets.
Hegseth characterized his conversations on Signal as informal and unclassified, intended for coordination purposes. This controversy is the second in recent months regarding Hegseth’s communication about military operations, with prior reports highlighting discussions related to planned strikes in Yemen that inadvertently included prominent journalist Jeffrey Goldberg.
President Trump has publicly endorsed Hegseth during this period of scrutiny, stating he is “doing a great job.” Additionally, White House officials have quelled rumors regarding a potential search for Hegseth’s replacement, asserting their confidence in his leadership.
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