Hegseth had a second Signal chat where he shared details of Yemen
strike, New York Times reports
[April 21, 2025]
By TARA COPP
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth created another Signal
messaging chat that included his wife and brother where he shared
similar details of a March military airstrike against Yemen’s Houthi
militants that were sent in another chain with top Trump administration
leaders, The New York Times reported.
A person familiar with the contents and those who received the messages,
who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters,
confirmed the second chat to The Associated Press.
The second chat on Signal — which is a commercially available app not
authorized to be used to communicate sensitive or classified national
defense information — included 13 people, the person said. They also
confirmed the chat was dubbed “Defense ' Team Huddle.”
The New York Times reported that the group included Hegseth's wife,
Jennifer, who is a former Fox News producer, and his brother Phil
Hegseth, who was hired at the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland
Security liaison and senior adviser. Both have traveled with the defense
secretary and attended high-level meetings.
The White House late Sunday dismissed the report as a “non-story,"
suggesting that disgruntled former Pentagon employees were spreading
false claims.
“No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same
non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was
shared,” said Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary.
“Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to
soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but
the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”
The revelation of the additional chat group brought fresh criticism
against Hegseth and President Donald Trump's wider administration after
it has failed to take action so far against the top national security
officials who discussed plans for the military strike in Signal.
“The details keep coming out. We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put
lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him,” Senate
Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X. “Pete Hegseth must be
fired.”
The first chat, set up by national security adviser Mike Waltz, included
a number of Cabinet members and came to light because Jeffrey Goldberg,
editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was added to the group.
The contents of that chat, which The Atlantic published, shows that
Hegseth listed weapons systems and a timeline for the attack on
Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen last month.
The National Security Council and a Pentagon spokesperson did not
immediately respond to messages seeking comment about the additional
chat group.
Hegseth has previously contended that no classified information or war
plans were shared in the chat with the journalist.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth departs the Commander-in-Chief trophy
presentation to the Navy Midshipman football team in the East Room
of the White House, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Times reported Sunday that the second chat had the same warplane
launch times that the first chat included. Multiple former and
current officials have said sharing those operational details before
a strike would have certainly been classified and their release
could have put pilots in danger.
Hegseth’s use of Signal and the sharing of such plans are under
investigation by the Defense Department's acting inspector general.
It came at the request of the leadership of the Senate Armed
Services Committee — Republican Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi
and ranking Democratic member Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
Reed urged the IG late Sunday to probe the reported second Signal
chat as well, saying that Hegseth “must immediately explain why he
reportedly texted classified information that could endanger
American servicemembers’ lives."
"I have grave concerns about Secretary Hegseth’s ability to maintain
the trust and confidence of U.S. servicemembers and the
Commander-in-Chief," he added.
The new revelations come amid further turmoil at the Pentagon. Four
officials in Hegseth’s inner circle departed last week as the
Pentagon conducts a widespread investigation for information leaks.
Dan Caldwell, a Hegseth aide; Colin Carroll, chief of staff to
Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg; and Darin Selnick,
Hegseth’s deputy chief of staff, were escorted out of the Pentagon.
While the three initially had been placed on leave pending the
investigation, a joint statement shared by Caldwell on X on Saturday
said the three “still have not been told what exactly we were
investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if
there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with."
Caldwell was the staff member designated as Hegseth’s point person
in the Signal chat with Trump Cabinet members.
Former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot also announced he was
resigning last week, unrelated to the leaks. The Pentagon said,
however, that Ullyot was asked to resign.
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AP writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this
report.
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