Turmoil engulfs Pentagon as fresh Signal allegations hit Hegseth
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, earlier this month. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is battling a series of major setbacks that portray the Pentagon as an agency in deep turmoil — including a fresh bombshell report on his use of Signal and the brutal defection of a one-time close ally.
Why it matters: The new revelations raise questions about Hegseth's ability to run the nation's largest government agency and who's been privy to typically secret Defense Department communications.
- It's been a tumultuous few days at the Defense Department, with several officials fired.
- The Pentagon's chief spokesperson Sean Parnell pointed to "disgruntled former employees" as he denied reports Sunday that Hegseth sent details of planned U.S. attacks against Yemen's Houthi rebels in a Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and lawyer.
Zoom in: Since Thursday, Hegseth's top leadership team has been decimated, overtaken by backstabbing that's more reminiscent of President Trump's first term than the current administration.
- Former top Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, who left office days ago, wrote in a Politico opinion piece Sunday "the last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it's becoming a real problem for the administration."
- It's hard to see Hegseth "remaining in his role for much longer," added Ullyot, who maintains he resigned despite a Defense Department official saying he was asked to leave.
Top officials Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick were fired after being placed on leave during an internal investigation into "unauthorized disclosures" of national security information.
Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, left his job for another role at the Defense Department. He helped lead the leak investigation.
The New York Times first reported Sunday that Hegseth "shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen in a private Signal group chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer." Hegseth created the group in January before he was confirmed as defense secretary, per the NYT, citing unnamed sources.
What they're saying: Parnell claimed on X that the reports "relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage" Hegseth's and Trump's agenda, without elaborating further on how he knew of the sources used by the outlets reporting on the matter.
- "There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story," added Parnell, who replaced Ullyot earlier this year.
- "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."
- A New York Times spokesperson said Monday the outlet is confident in the accuracy of its reporting.
- "The Pentagon has not denied the existence of the chat, and its assertion that there was no classified information shared in any chat is beside the point when it comes to our story, which did not characterize the information as classified," the spokesperson added in the email.
- Representatives for the Pentagon did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.
The other side: The three officials who had been fired hit back at Hegseth's team Saturday, saying "unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door."
- "At this time, we still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of 'leaks' to begin with," they said in a joint statement that Caldwell shared on X.
- Ullyot weighed in, writing in his op-ed that the agency didn't conduct polygraph tests as originally promised. He accused Hegseth's staff of "spreading flat-out, easily debunked falsehoods anonymously about their colleagues on their way out the door."
Between the lines: Ullyot's unusually public broadside targeting Hegseth came four months after he called him "the best choice to reform the Pentagon."
- Ullyot was closely connected to the Defense Department's purge of DEI-related content from its website that led to public outcry when images of national heroes like Jackie Robinson were briefly removed.
Go deeper: Top Trump officials' Signal blunder becomes top news story of 2025
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
Rebecca Falconer contributed reporting.
