The White House is searching for a replacement for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a U.S. official told NPR on Monday. On Sunday, The New York Times revealed that Hegseth had texted his wife and brother details of a military strike on Yemen last month. An official told NPR Hegseth shared the classified information on Signal using his personal phone. NPR revealed no further details about the search for a replacement.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt disputed NPR’s reporting, slamming it as “FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about.” “As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind [Hegseth],” she added. The report comes on the heels of a slew of other scandals that have embroiled Hegseth, including the departure of four senior advisers, some of whom left their roles as part of an investigation into press leaks. He was also a central figure in the initial Signal group chat leak—in which senior administration officials discussed details of the same Yemen attack on a Signal chat that inadvertently included Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. Hegseth, 44, was one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet appointments because of his lack of Pentagon experience, position on women serving in the military, and an alleged history of alcoholism. The Senate narrowly confirmed him on Jan. 24 after Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie. As it did the first time Hegseth was embroiled in a leak scandal, the White House stood behind the defense secretary on Monday—at least publicly. Trump said reports about Hegseth’s alleged texts to his wife and brother were “fake news” and a “waste of time.” “Pete’s doing a great job,” Trump told a gaggle of reporters. “Everybody is happy with him. We have the best recruitment numbers, I think, we’ve had in 28 years … It’s just fake news.” Some Republicans have started to turn on Hegseth, however. Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, told Politico on Monday that Trump should fire Hegseth.
“I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience,” he said. “I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern.” Bacon said other GOP lawmakers have privately expressed similar concerns. He said if the recent reports are true, the defense secretary should resign. “I’m not in the White House, and I’m not going to tell the White House how to manage this,” Bacon said, “but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn’t tolerate it if I was in charge.” He added of the chaos at the Pentagon: “There’s a lot—a lot—of smoke coming out of the Pentagon, and I got to believe there’s some fire there somewhere.”
Hegseth arrived at the defense secretary job burdened with scandal. The New Yorker obtained records in December from two nonprofit advocacy groups that Hegseth led—Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America—that accused him of financial mismanagement, unwanted sexual advances, and drunken behavior that included yelling “kill all Muslims!” at a bar while on a tour in Ohio. An ex-relative also submitted a letter under oath claiming he once received a lap dance while in his military uniform. Hegseth has defended himself vigorously. In December, amid chatter that Trump should dump his nomination for someone less scandal-ridden, a defiant Hegseth told reporters he only cared about Trump’s concerns—not the press’s. Trump praised Hegseth shortly thereafter on Truth Social, saying he was “doing very well” and that his “support is strong and deep.”
Hegseth similarly attacked the press on Monday. “What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax,” he said. “This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations.”
