The Pentagon has attributed the recent Signal group chat leak to national security adviser Mike Waltz, amid growing concerns about Pete Hegseth‘s handling of sensitive information in his role as the nation’s top military official. Concerns have been raised regarding Jennifer Hegseth’s presence at prestigious invitation-only meetings. These meetings were held in total secrecy under the premise of discussing sensitive information, creating a need for more oversight.
Jennifer Hegseth on our trip with seven other finance and defense officials from foreign countries. In early March, we convened that first meeting at—of all places—the Pentagon. It included fascinating exchanges and dialogues with UK Military leadership and their Secretary of Defense, John Healey. The second meeting took place in mid-February, this time in Brussels. It happened over the course of a session of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of some 50 nations working together to synchronize military assistance to Ukraine.
A statement from department spokesperson Sean Parnell to the Journal indicated that they were unsure about Jennifer Hegseth’s security clearance status. Now, Pete Hegseth’s ability to appropriately manage his new responsibilities is very much under the spotlight. A number of Democrats are now calling for his resignation. A bipartisan group of Senate leaders demanded an investigation into the Signal group chat leak.
“Pretty clear to me that [the Journal’s] story is going to be filled with inaccuracies and will not be written in good faith,” said Sean Parnell.
Jennifer Hegseth’s background as a former producer for Fox & Friends, where Pete Hegseth co-hosted from 2017, adds another layer of complexity. The couple married in 2019. Although a defense secretary has vast discretion over who may meet with foreign counterparts, attendees typically bear high-level security clearances.
Former Republican Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel emphasized the importance of caution when inviting individuals to meetings with foreign counterparts. At the same time, a federal judge ordered those same officials, including Pete Hegseth, to save all communications in the Signal group chat.
The Guardian’s request for comment from the Pentagon about these practices was not returned by time of publication. According to one unnamed Republican operative, that should be of little concern as nobody will notice or care about the issue.
“You’re not going to hear a huge public outcry,” an anonymous GOP official predicted.