Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire for leaking classified Yemen war plans in private chats, sparking outrage and demands for his dismissal

 U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing mounting calls to resign after fresh revelations emerged that he shared sensitive military information regarding air strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a second private Signal chat, this time involving his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.

The scandal has deepened an already fraught atmosphere inside the Pentagon, where multiple senior officials were recently ousted amid a sweeping leak investigation. The new disclosures, confirmed by a source familiar with the matter speaking to Reuters, suggest Hegseth’s use of the unclassified messaging app was far more extensive than previously known.

According to the source, Hegseth created the second chat during his confirmation process. Though initially meant for administrative discussions, it soon became a backchannel for highly sensitive discussions, including the schedule of a March strike on Iran-aligned Houthi targets in Yemen — details that echoed those mistakenly revealed in a separate group chat that included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.

In that earlier mishap, Goldberg was inadvertently added to a Signal thread discussing national security matters. His subsequent exposé publicly embarrassed President Donald Trump’s entire national security team and fuelled concerns over lax information controls under Hegseth’s leadership.

The new chat, reportedly including around a dozen individuals, has raised further alarms. Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet — a former Fox News producer — has appeared in images attending high-level meetings with foreign defence officials. In one photo taken during Hegseth’s March meeting with his British counterpart, she is seated directly behind him.

Hegseth’s brother, a Department of Homeland Security liaison, was also included in the Signal group. Pentagon officials privately question the appropriateness of including family members in discussions of such a sensitive nature.

Despite the firestorm, the Pentagon has attempted to deflect blame. In a combative statement posted to X, spokesperson Sean Parnell accused the press of amplifying the voices of “disgruntled former employees” and claimed, without evidence, that “the Trump-hating media” aimed to “destroy anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda.”

But the deflection hasn’t stemmed the outrage. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the Defence Secretary’s actions: “We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. However, Trump is still too weak to fire him. Pete Hegseth must be fired.” Senator Tammy Duckworth, a decorated Iraq War veteran, was even more blunt, saying he “must resign in disgrace.”

The White House, meanwhile, attempted to shift the narrative. Spokesperson Anna Kelly dismissed the reports as “misrepresentations” by “recently fired leakers trying to soothe their shattered egos.”

Still, pressure is mounting. The latest revelation came just days after Dan Caldwell, a top adviser to Hegseth, was physically escorted from the Pentagon after being implicated in the internal probe into leaks.

Security analysts say the ongoing scandal has severely damaged the credibility of the Defence Department. “You cannot run military operations if sensitive details are being shared in informal, unsecured channels,” said one retired general. “This compromises lives, allies, and missions.”

With Democrats demanding accountability and even some Republican insiders reportedly uneasy, Hegseth’s position appears increasingly untenable. As investigations continue and tensions inside the Pentagon boil over, the Trump administration faces one of its gravest defence credibility crises yet.