Pete Hegseth Goes Off At ‘Deep State,’ Staff Trying To ‘Save Their Ass’ Amid Pentagon Chaos
In another angry interview, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested “deep state forces” are trying to force him out at the Pentagon following a second Signal controversy.
Hegseth’s position is in question after it was revealed he used his personal smartphone to share sensitive information on a recent airstrike in Yemen with a Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and lawyer.
On Tuesday, The New York Times published new reporting on the disarray at the heart of the Pentagon, suggesting it has become a hotbed of distrust and dysfunction.
Meanwhile, NBC News revealed that the details of the attack plans Hegseth shared on at least two Signal group chats were sourced from a top general’s secure messages sent via a U.S. government system. The story raises questions about Hegseth’s denial that the information he shared was classified.
Amid the latest accusations, Hegseth appeared on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning and was asked whether he was being targeted by “deep state forces.”
“They’ve come after me from day 1,” Hegseth agreed. “Just like they’ve come after President Trump. And I’ve gotten a fraction of what President Trump got in that first term. What he’s endured is superhuman.”
Despite the leaks, Hegseth said he was focused on implementing Trump’s agenda, including cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and securing the U.S.-Mexico border.
“It’s going very well at the Pentagon, and I’m very proud of it,” he said.
Hegseth used much of the interview to gripe at the “leakers” behind the recent media reports — much as he did at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday in front of his children.
On Fox News, Hegseth said “disgruntled former employees are peddling things to try to save their ass.”
Hegseth recently fired three aides, who said they didn’t know why they were fired.
The latest dispatch from the Times details extreme dysfunction at the Defense Department under Hegseth’s leadership — and reports that even basic processes face a logjam. Plans for a missile shield to protect the U.S. against attacks from the likes of North Korea and Iran have reportedly been left unsigned in Hegseth’s office for weeks.
The Times also reports staffers’ unease over Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, whose meetings “meander or take pointlessly bawdy turns.” In one meeting, Kasper recounted an evening he spent at a Washington strip club, the Times reports.
Distrust reportedly runs so high that Hegseth’s inner circle is reportedly searching the old social media posts and writings of Defense Department civil servants and senior military officials for possible signs of disloyalty to President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
