Will Pete Hegseth be fired? US Defense Secretary shared Houthi attack plan on a second Signal group chat

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's stint with the Donald Trump administration could see an untimely end after it emerged that he had shared detailed plans about a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen on a second Signal group chat, which included his wife, lawyer and brother. This occurred on the same day he was found to have shared similar operational details in a separate Signal chat that inadvertently included a senior US journalist.

The second Signal group chat on which he leaked the sensitive information included his wife Jennifer Rauchet, a former Fox News producer, Hegseth’s brother Phil and Hegseth’s attorney Tim Parlatore. While Rauchet has nothing to do with the Defence Department, both Phil and Time Parlatore have positions in the Pentagon. But, reportedly they too are not in a position requiring advanced knowledge of strike plans.  It is unclear whether everyone in the second Signal chat has a security clearance.

The messages were sent on March 15 and included details of the flight schedules for F/A-18 Hornets tasked with striking Houthi targets.

This comes as the Defense Department is facing a probe about an information leak which saw three former senior advisers to Hegseth being placed on administrative leave. Weeks ago, The Atlantic had revealed that its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly included by national security adviser Mike Waltz in the first Signal chat where Hegseth shared military plans.

Chaos at The Pentagon

Though the White House reacted to the report, calls for Hegseth's resignation are getting louder. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats calling for Trump to get rid of Hegseth. "The details keep coming out. We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him. Pete Hegseth must be fired," Schumer said on X.

Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona too sought Hegseth's resignation after the the war plans were shared last month. "Our service members and our national security deserve more than Pete Hegseth," Kelly told NPR. "He is unqualified for this job. And if he doesn't resign, the president should fire him."

One of Hegseth’s closest advisers and his former press secretary, John Ullyot too hit out at the "chaos at the Pentagon". "From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership," Ullyot wrote Sunday in POLITICO.

Ullyot, who resigned from the Pentagon last week, said Hegseth was "now presiding over a strange and baffling purge" that has left him without senior advisers, "More firings may be coming, according to rumours in the building," he added. "Even strong backers of the secretary like me must admit: The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration."

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