Trump stands firm behind defence secretary as Pentagon faces leak allegations

President Donald Trump expressed unwavering support for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite a recent controversy involving sensitive information allegedly shared on the Signal app.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reassured reporters that the President has full confidence in Hegseth’s leadership, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

“The President absolutely has confidence in Secretary Hegseth. I spoke to him about it this morning, and he stands strongly behind him,” Leavitt said.

The controversy began after The New York Times reported on April 20 that Hegseth had shared sensitive details about planned strikes in Yemen with a private group on the encrypted messaging app Signal. The chat reportedly included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer. This incident follows a similar issue last month, where Hegseth unintentionally included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief in a group chat involving military plans.

Despite the allegations, administration officials have insisted that no classified information was disclosed in either of the chats.

In a related development, former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot wrote an opinion piece for Politico, criticizing Hegseth’s leadership. “The building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership,” Ullyot wrote, referencing a recent exodus of top Pentagon officials amid an investigation into potential leaks.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and veteran, was narrowly confirmed as Defence Secretary in January, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote in his favor. However, the latest controversy, along with the wave of departures, has raised questions about his future in the role, with some GOP senators reportedly growing impatient.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell pushed back strongly against the latest media coverage, framing it as part of an ongoing campaign to undermine Trump’s allies. “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,” Parnell stated. He also criticized the New York Times for relying on the grievances of disgruntled former employees. “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,” Parnell added.

By Vafa Guliyeva