The revelation came weeks after another security breach that should never have happened, but there’s speculation that this transgression is going to be more costly.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News personality turned Pentagon chief, stands accused of sharing highly sensitive military operational details in a private Signal chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer—none of whom had any legitimate need to know.
According to the New York Times, four sources with direct knowledge of the communications say Hegseth used an encrypted group titled “Defense | Team Huddle”—accessed via his personal phone, not his government-issued device—to disseminate real-time information about U.S. airstrikes targeting Houthi militants in Yemen on March 15.
The shared details reportedly included the flight schedules of F/A-18 Hornets, effectively outlining the same attack plans that were simultaneously being discussed in a separate, official Signal group—one that infamously included The Atlantic’s editor due to an errant invite.
Jennifer Hegseth, the secretary’s wife and a former Fox News producer, has no formal role at the Pentagon.
Yet she has repeatedly accompanied her husband to sensitive meetings with foreign military officials, raising eyebrows among national security professionals.
Now, it appears she was also privy to live operational updates—a privilege typically reserved for cleared personnel.
Also in the chat were Hegseth’s brother Phil, a Pentagon liaison, and Tim Parlatore, his longtime personal attorney, who was sworn in as a Navy JAG officer just days before the Yemen strikes.
The administration’s insistence that no classified material was shared has been met with open derision from security experts.
Veteran defense officials confirm that aircraft deployment timelines and mission specifics are, by definition, classified.
“This wasn’t idle chatter—it was actionable intelligence,” said one retired general. “If hostile forces had intercepted those messages, American lives would have been at risk.”
Hegseth’s cavalier response—“Nobody was texting war plans”—has only deepened the outrage.
The magazine editor included in the group chat published a transcript that revealed precise details of the strikes, including times and targets, proving that war plans were shared.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is unraveling. Three of his senior advisers were abruptly fired last week over unrelated leaks, and his chief of staff is reportedly eyeing the exit.
Even Republicans, typically reluctant to criticize one of President Donald Trump’s coterie, have joined Democrats in demanding accountability.
Senator Roger Wicker, the GOP chair of the Armed Services Committee, has pressed for an inspector general investigation—though it remains unclear whether the probe will extend to the “Team Huddle” disclosures.
The White House, ever defensive, has dismissed the scandal as a media fabrication. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly insisted, yet again, that no classified information was compromised.
Trump, for his part, has stood by his defense secretary, declaring he did “nothing wrong.”
But the backlash is growing louder. Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and combat veteran, minced no words: “Every day Hegseth remains in office, he jeopardizes the safety of our troops with his reckless behavior.”
The most damning detail? Hegseth’s own staff reportedly warned him against discussing operational matters on Signal.
He ignored them. Whether out of arrogance, incompetence, or a blurred line between personal and professional loyalties, the damage is done.
Walter Cronkite would have called this “a grave betrayal of trust.” Jimmy Breslin would’ve called it “a damn disgrace.”
History will call it both.