President Trump on Monday defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid reports he’s looking to replace the Cabinet member.
The big picture: Hegseth is at the center of a bombshell report on his use of Signal, which has raised questions about his ability to run the nation’s largest government agency.
- The Pentagon denied reports Sunday that Hegseth sent details of planned U.S. attacks against Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and lawyer.
Driving the news: Asked by reporters at the White House Easter Egg Roll if he still has confidence in Hegseth, Trump said: “He’s doing a great job — ask the Houthis how he’s doing,” referring to the rebel group in Yemen.
- Trump called worries over Hegseth’s sharing of sensitive information “a waste of time.”
Zoom in: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down, saying on X Monday, “As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind” Hegseth.
- She called an NPR report saying the White House is looking for a new secretary of defense to replace him “FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about.”
Zoom out: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Monday became the first Republican member of Congress to call for Hegseth’s removal from office.
- “The military should always pride itself on operational security. If the reports are true, the Secretary of Defense has failed at operational security, and that is unacceptable,” Bacon told Axios.
Go deeper: Turmoil engulfs Pentagon as fresh Signal allegations hit Hegseth
