How Hegseth's messy month at the Pentagon unfolded

• "He's doing a great job — ask the Houthis how he's doing," Trump told reporters on April 21 during the White House's annual Easter Egg Roll.
• Inside the Pentagon, a battle brews — with three top officials becoming high-profile casualties after an investigation into alleged leaks, Axios' Zachary Basu reports.
• The fallout has added to the controversy Hegseth already carried when he first auditioned for the post in an uncertain confirmation battle.

Here is a timeline of Hegseth's chaotic month:

NYT report on Musk's Pentagon meeting: March 20

The New York Times reported that administration ally and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was set to receive a Pentagon briefing on military plans in case of war with China.

• Musk responded, "I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT."
• But Axios' Marc Caputo later reported that Trump himself ordered staffers to kill the meeting.

Jeffrey Goldberg publishes stunning Atlantic report: March 24

Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a piece — titled "The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans" — detailing how officials accidentally invited him to a Signal discussion on strikes in Yemen.

• The story stirred outrage on Capitol Hill, bolstering calls for Hegseth and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz's ousters — but they've (so far) survived.

Hegseth says no war plans were shared: March 24

Hegseth, denying Goldberg's piece, was adamant that "nobody was texting war plans."

Atlantic releases new messages from Hegseth detailing strike: March 26

The additional messages previously undisclosed by The Atlantic included correspondence from Hegseth including the sequencing and timing of strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

• One message read, in part, " THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP."

Senate committee leaders ask for investigation: March 27

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) asked the Pentagon's inspector general to investigate how Goldberg found himself the chat where details of a military attack were shared.

In an April 3 memo, Acting Pentagon Inspector General Steven Stebbins said he was opening an investigation.

• "The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business," his memo read.

Hegseth puts senior staffers on leave: April 15

The Pentagon put two top officials on administrative leave, Axios' Rebecca Falconer reported.

• Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser, and Darin Selnick, the Pentagon's deputy chief of staff, were placed on leave amid as an investigation into leaks at the Department.

Three senior Pentagon officials fired: April 18

Three senior officials, including Selnick and Caldwell, were fired on April 18, according to a Politico op-ed penned by John Ullyot, the department's former chief spokesman.

In a joint statement April 19, the three men said unnamed officials from the Department had "slandered our character with baseless attacks"

• They added, "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."

NYT report on Hegseth's Signal use: April 20

The New York Times reported on April 20 that Hegseth had "shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen in a private Signal group chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer."

• Speaking on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" on April 22, Hegseth said, "What was shared over Signal — then and now — was informal, unclassified coordinations."

Ex-spokesman writes op-ed on Pentagon "chaos": April 20

Ullyot, days after leaving office, wrote in a Politico opinion piece Sunday "the last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon," adding that "it's hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer."

• Ullyot maintains he resigned despite a Defense Department official telling Axios he was asked to leave.

Hegseth strikes back at Easter Egg Roll: April 21

Hegseth lashed out at members of the media and "anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees" while talking to reporters at the White House's Easter Egg Roll.

WH denies reports it is planning to fire Hegseth: April 21

Leavitt called an NPR report saying the White House is looking for a new secretary of defense "FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about."

First House Republican backs Hegseth's ouster: April 21

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) became the first GOP member of Congress to show support for Hegseth's removal from office, Axios' Andrew Solender reported.

• "The military should always pride itself on operational security," Bacon told Axios. "If the reports are true, the Secretary of Defense has failed at operational security, and that is unacceptable."

Go deeper: 🪖 Trump stands by Hegseth

• Read: Trump officials sued over Signal chat
• White House says Signal case is "closed," as investigation calls grow