Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis said that the opinion piece blasting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, written by former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, is “pretty damning.”
Why It Matters
The department has faced increased scrutiny after Hegseth and other top Trump Cabinet officials engaged in a Signal group chat, which included a journalist, while discussing imminent war plans.
Signal is an encrypted messaging app. The handling of the sensitive military discussions among Trump’s brass also triggered widespread U.S. security concerns.
Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz have repeatedly rebuked the initial report from Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
Amid reports of firings within the department over the weekend, an additional report by The New York Times accuses Hegseth of sharing additional attack plans in a second Signal chat with members of his family and personal attorney.
Hegseth called out the new report of the second group chat, saying in part, “this is what the media does.” President Donald Trump has repeatedly come to the defense of Hegseth in the immediate aftermath of both incidents.
What To Know
In Ullyot’s opinion article on Sunday in Politico Magazine, he blasted Hegseth’s governance, saying that the Pentagon “is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership.”
Ullyot added, “The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon—and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration,” citing the Signal group chats and reported firings.
Speaking on the recent incidents with CNN on Monday, Stavridis said that the report on the second Signal chat is “conduct that frankly is indefensible.”
“In this case, again, as I look at that and put my years of experience on, it appears to me to be highly classified information, and I think that is an … opinion shared pretty much across the national security sector,” Stavridis said when asked about the Pentagon’s statement saying no classified information was shared after the Times report.
Stavridis concluded the conversation with CNN about the Politico op-ed: “If folks haven’t seen the op-ed written by his former spokesman John Ullyot, which lays out all of this quite clearly, again someone hired and brought into the Pentagon by Secretary Hegseth, that’s pretty damning in my view.”
When Newsweek asked the Pentagon whether Trump and Hegseth have spoken privately about the onslaught of negative media reports, it referred the news outlet to Hegseth’s comments on Monday when he said that he had spoken to Trump, and that they were “on the same page all the way.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 21 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 21 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
What People Are Saying
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted to X on Sunday: “Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda. This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article. They relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President’s agenda.
“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story. What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump’s agenda,” Parnell said.
Concluding, Parnell added, “We’ve already achieved so much for the American warfighter, and will never back down.”
Trump, speaking to the media about Hegseth on Monday: “He’s doing a great job. It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people and that’s what he’s doing. So, you don’t always have friends when you do that.”
Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma posted to X on Monday: “I will lead the breach. I will lay down cover fire. I will take the high ground. I’ll expose myself to enemy fire to communicate. We must bring back integrity, focus, and put the Warfighter first inside DOD. I stand with @SecDef @PeteHegseth. 🇺🇸”
Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey also posted to X on Monday: “Pete Hegseth is clearly ill-equipped to handle the role of Secretary of Defense. His repeated failure to follow basic operational security procedures jeopardizes the safety and security of our armed forces. He should resign.
“It is time for my Republican colleagues to do their constitutional duty and scrutinize his and the administration’s actions in oversight hearings.”
What Happens Next
The White House has rebuked another report by NPR on Monday saying that the president is seeking a replacement for Hegseth, calling it “fake news.”