President Donald Trump is standing behind Pete Hegseth after a report claimed that the Defence Secretary had shared information about planned US strikes on Yemen in a second group chat on the Signal messaging app that included family members.
In response to a question about whether he had confidence in Mr Hegseth, Mr Trump told reporters during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll: "Oh, totally, why would you even ask that?"
On Sunday, The New York Times reported claims Mr Hegseth had shared information about the March strikes on Yemen's Houthis in a group chat that included his wife, his brother and his lawyer. “The President absolutely has confidence in Secretary Hegseth," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday. "I spoke to him about it this morning, and he stands behind him."
The revelation comes after Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly included in a separate chat on Signal.
The incident involved senior administration officials, including Mr Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and outlined plans for the strikes on the Houthis, such as information about the weapons to be used and the timings. The White House has insisted that none of the information shared was classified.
The Times reported that, unlike the accidental leak to Goldberg, the second group chat was created by Mr Hegseth. Mr Waltz and Mr Hegseth came under intense criticism, and there were calls for their resignations.
In an opinion piece for Politico magazine, John Ullyot, the former top spokesman at the Pentagon, who stepped down last week, heaped criticism on Mr Hegseth, claiming that the Department of Defence is in "total chaos".
NPR, citing an anonymous US official, reported that the White House had begun the search for a new Secretary of Defence.
But Mr Hegseth has projected confidence, blaming the controversy on "disgruntled former employees" leaking to the media.
He told reporters he had spoken with Mr Trump and that “we are going to continue fighting".
