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President Donald Trump has said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will “get it together” amid mounting criticism over his handling of Pentagon operations, use of the Signal messaging app, and allegations of mismanagement.
Some shit you should know before you read: No matter if you lean left, middle, or right, it’s safe to say these last two months have been rough for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He has faced intense bipartisan scrutiny over “Signalgate” after reports revealed he shared sensitive military plans, including imminent US airstrikes in Yemen, over the Signal messaging app. In addition, more scrutiny has been piled on after it was revealed that a special system was set up in his office to bypass Pentagon security protocols to access Signal. Alongside these security concerns, a wave of dismissals and resignations from key Pentagon staffers has fueled accusations that Hegseth’s leadership has created instability within the Department of Defense. Despite this, Hegseth has openly said he is fighting back against career DOD officials who are trying to obstruct his directives and the president’s goals.
What’s going on now: In an interview with The Atlantic, President Donald Trump again reiterated his support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth despite the growing controversy engulfing the Pentagon. “I think he’s gonna get it together,” Trump said, adding, “I had a talk with him, a positive talk, but I had a talk with him.” Trump dismissed concerns surrounding the fallout from “Signalgate,” where Hegseth was found to have shared sensitive military information via unsecured Signal chats, and instead directed blame toward media reporting and internal leaks.
Despite this, Hegseth is facing significant bipartisan criticism from Capitol Hill, with lawmakers questioning his fitness for the role. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, said, “Pete Hegseth was not qualified to take the job as Secretary of Defense, and he has shown that time and again.” She further accused Hegseth of creating “chaos that is now embroiling our uniform military,” arguing that he has failed to take responsibility for his actions.
On the Republican side, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker announced a bipartisan request for an expedited watchdog investigation into the Signal app leaks, noting that his committee was serious about getting to the bottom of the entire situation.
