Tag Archives: Yemen

Polygraph Threats, Leaks and Infighting: The Chaos Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon

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Defense secretary has chastised top military officers and staffers as he seeks to quiet a storm he helped create.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied discussing sensitive military information with his wife and others in the Signal app.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was rattled.

Word had leaked that he was planning a classified briefing for Elon Musk on China, a revelation that infuriated President Trump and raised alarms inside the Pentagon given Musk’s business ties to Beijing.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pete-hegseth-pentagon-fired-aides-cfa9e0d5

Politico: The vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon

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A feud between the secretary’s advisers and his chief of staff created backbiting and distrust that has erupted into the open.

When President Donald Trump chose Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, incoming officials knew they’d need to surround the inexperienced Fox News host with accomplished staff who could handle the nation’s largest bureaucracy. Hegseth would be the show horse, they figured, and others at the top would keep the Pentagon on track.

What happened was the opposite. Hegseth surrounded himself with advisers who quickly turned into vicious rivals for power — whose bitter brawl has now unraveled into revenge power plays, surprise firings, accusations of leaking and embarrassing headlines that are blowing up the Pentagon, distracting from Trump’s agenda and possibly jeopardizing Hegseth’s job.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Just consider that they’re not starting with the finest of people.

The vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon
A feud between the secretary’s advisers and his chief of staff created backbiting and distrust that has erupted into the open.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/22/pentagon-infighting-hegseth-fired-officials-00302709

NBC News: Info Hegseth shared with wife and brother came from top general’s secure messages

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Hegseth has denied the information he shared was classified, but it was given to him on a system for sensitive and classified information, sources told NBC News.

Minutes before U.S. fighter jets took off to begin strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last month, Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command, used a secure U.S. government system to send detailed information about the operation to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The material Kurilla sent included details about when U.S. fighters would take off and when they would hit their targets — details that could, if they fell into the wrong hands, put the pilots of those fighters in grave danger. But he was doing exactly what he was supposed to: providing Hegseth, his superior, with information he needed to know and using a system specifically designed to safely transmit sensitive and classified information.

But then Hegseth used his personal phone to send some of the same information Kurilla had given him to at least two group text chats on the Signal messaging app, three U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the exchanges told NBC News.

Info Hegseth shared with wife and brother came from top general’s secure messages
Hegseth has denied the information he shared was classified, but it was given to him on a system for sensitive and classified information, sources told NBC News.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/rcna198838

New York Times: Under Hegseth, Chaos Prevails at the Pentagon

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The defense secretary’s inner circle is in disarray, and distrust is growing among civil servants and senior military officials.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived at the Pentagon in January with almost no government experience and huge ambitions to remake the way the military was being run.

In just three months in office, Mr. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has instead produced a run of chaos that is unmatched in the recent history of the Defense Department.

Mr. Hegseth’s inner circle of close advisers — military veterans who, like him, had little experience running large, complex organizations — is in a shambles. Three members of the team he brought with him into the Pentagon were accused last week of leaking unauthorized information and escorted from the building.

A fourth recently departed member of Mr. Hegseth’s team, John Ullyot, who had been his top spokesman, accused Mr. Hegseth of disloyalty and incompetence in an opinion essay in Politico on Sunday. “The building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership,” Mr. Ullyot wrote.

The discord, according to current and former defense officials, includes: screaming matches in his inner office among aides; a growing distrust of the thousands of military and civilian personnel who staff the building; and bureaucratic logjams that have slowed down progress on some of President Trump’s key priorities, such as an “Iron Dome for America” missile-defense shield. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal business.

Cry me a river! Even better, resign and self-deport to somewhere, anywhere!

https://archive.is/I0kbS

Washington Post: Pete Hegseth, isolated and defiant, has Trump’s backing for now

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A dirtbag that only King Donald would keep around:

President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed a deepening controversy surrounding Pete Hegseth, declaring the embattled defense secretary is “doing a great job” despite seismic dysfunction within the Pentagon amid political infighting, numerous firings, and reports he divulged to his wife, brother and lawyer the highly sensitive details of an imminent military operation.

Pete Hegseth, isolated and defiant, has Trump’s backing for now
Officials say the unraveling of Hegseth’s inner circle is cause for alarm, leaving some to wonder how the Pentagon would function in a national security crisis.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ar-AA1DlEUv

Reuters: Pentagon says leak probe may lead to U.S. prosecutions

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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Tuesday of possible prosecutions of former senior advisors who were fired during a probe into leaks of Pentagon information to the media, saying evidence would be handed over to the Department of Justice once the investigation is completed.

F*ck*ng hypocrite! Look in the mirror and prosecute yourself!

Pentagon says leak probe may lead to U.S. prosecutions
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Tuesday of possible prosecutions of former senior advisors who were fired during a probe into leaks of Pentagon information to the media, saying evidence would be handed over to the Department of Justice once the investigation is completed.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pentagon-says-leak-probe-may-lead-us-prosecutions-2025-04-22

MeidasTouch News: White House Initiates Search for New Secretary of Defense, Report

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In a stunning turn of events, NPR is reporting that the White House has begun the process of seeking a new Secretary of Defense, according to a U.S. official who spoke under condition of anonymity. This development follows a rapidly escalating crisis within the Department of Defense, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faces mounting scrutiny and calls for his resignation amid a series of scandals and growing dysfunction at the Pentagon.

I guess the drunken wifebeater isn’t working out?

White House Initiates Search for New Secretary of Defense, Report
The White House has denied the report.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-initiates-search-for-new-secretary-of-defense-report/ar-AA1DkWLh

New York Times: The Message Pete Hegseth Sends the Troops

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Last week’s shocking report that Mr. Hegseth shared sensitive information about a yet-to-be-launched air attack in Yemen on an unclassified messaging app is now straining the limits of his credibility as an everyman — and his fitness to lead the American military’s 2.1 million service members.

Americans stationed across the globe know if they violate similar security protocols, they can expect swift reprimand, the loss of security clearance and perhaps a court-martial. In his first departmentwide message on Jan. 25, Mr. Hegseth told troops he was a firm believer in holding everyone to account. “Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear,” he wrote. Now those same operational security standards don’t appear to apply to him. What message is sent to American troops if that imbalance continues?

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For now, the affair raises profound questions about whether Mr. Hegseth can handle an actual national security crisis, after he’s managed to blunder into such a major unforced error.

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It’s difficult to imagine that two of his recent predecessors, Jim Mattis and Lloyd J. Austin III, who retired six ranks above Mr. Hegseth as four-star generals, would have copy and pasted such details onto a publicly available app. It’s not that either man flawlessly executed the role of defense secretary, but at least they were accountable…. Mr. Hegseth, so far, hasn’t shown that he is willing to admit any fault. Instead, he has taken a defiant tone, attacking Mr. Goldberg’s credibility and arguing that “nobody was texting war plans.”

Opinion | The Message Pete Hegseth Sends the Troops – The New York Times

Irish Star: True meaning behind [Bimbo #1] Karoline Leavitt’s nickname as White House press secretary clashes with reporters

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[Bimbo #1] Karoline Leavitt has been living up to a new nickname she was given following her first White House press briefing as she’s accused of making a disgraceful attempt to spin the Trump administration’s Signal group chat scandal.

The White House press secretary – who recently showed off what a day in her life looks like – was first dubbed the “spinmeister” by CNN back in January as she was accused of spinning information about a pause on federal grants and loans when she said payments for Social Security, Medicare and food stamps would not be affected but didn’t say what would happen to nonprofit programs like Meals on Wheels.

“It’s a classic spinmeister tactic saying I answered that when you haven’t answered it and apparently can’t answer it right away,” CNN’s fact-checker Daniel Dale said.

But the 27-year-old’s latest spin attempt has backfired as she now appears to have made a spectacular U-turn after critics accused her of lying. After The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal messaging app group in which top government officials discussed plans for strikes in Yemen, Leavitt attempted to change the narrative.

During a fiery White House briefing on Wednesday the press secretary told reporters: “If this story proves anything, it proves that Democrats and their propagandists in the mainstream media know how to fabricate, orchestrate, and disseminate a misinformation campaign quite well.”

She called Goldberg’s piece a “sensationalized story from the failing Atlantic magazine” while attempting to smear the reporter and doubling down on claims that no classified information was leaked.

Leavitt snapped at CNN’s Kaitlin Collins when asked about the ongoing scandal before abruptly cutting the volatile press conference short.

Head in the sand often?

True meaning behind Karoline Leavitt’s nickname as White House press secretary clashes with reporters

True meaning behind Karoline Leavitt’s nickname as White House press secretary clashes with reporters

Irish Star: Humiliated [Bimbo #1] Karoline Leavitt abruptly cuts short press conference and runs away

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Donald Trump’s press secretary appeared to crumble under pressure following repeated questions on the government’s leaked war plans

White House Press Secretary [Bimbo #1] Karoline Leavitt unexpectedly ended a news conference Wednesday after fielding tough questions about the government Houthi attack plan leak.

Leavitt, who gave a surprise glimpse into her family life, lost her temper and snapped at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during the volatile press conference.

…

Leavitt went on to highlight other efforts, such as honoring veterans and women, before going on to slam the media for focusing its attention on the government Houthi group chat story published in The Atlantic.

In the scoop, the magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffery Goldberg revealed that he was accidentally added to a chat on the app Signal where top administrators were discussing a strike on the Houthis in Yemen, including screenshots of messages with some of their attack plans. Among those in the chat included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Vice President JD Vance.

Leavitt slammed the piece as a “sensationalized story from the failing Atlantic magazine” while attempting to smear the reporter and doubling-down on claims that no classified information was leaked. She also said that Waltz, who added Goldberg, took responsibility for the incident and claimed an investigation into the matter was underway.

“If the story proves anything, it proves that Democrats and their propagandists in the mainstream media know how to fabricate, orchestrate and disseminate a misinformation campaign quite well,” Leavitt said.

She went on to accuse Goldberg, who has previously been critical of the president, of being an “anti-Trump hater” and a “registered Democrat.” Goldberg, 59, has interviewed high-profile political figures including Barack Obama and supported the invasion of Iraq over fears of chemical weapons, which Leavitt mentioned in an attempt to discredit the journalist.

Goldberg, who served in the Israel Defense Forces, has previously drawn the ire of Trump after writing a piece ahead of the November election about his alleged affinity for Adolf Hitler, with exclusive insights from top ex-staffers including Gen. John Kelly, Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff.

Humiliated Karoline Leavitt abruptly cuts short press conference and runs away
Donald Trump’s press secretary appeared to crumble under pressure following repeated questions on the government’s leaked war plans

Humiliated Karoline Leavitt abruptly cuts short press conference and runs away – Irish Star