Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday lashed out at the media and “disgruntled former employees” as he finds himself embroiled in fresh controversy over his sharing of sensitive information and his management of the Pentagon.
Hegseth was defiant in remarks to reporters at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll, dismissing new reporting about a second Signal app chat where he shared information about strikes in Yemen and telling reporters he and President Trump are “on the same page all the way.”
“What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax,” Hegseth said, responding to new reporting from The New York Times.
“This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations,” Hegseth continued.
“Not gonna work with me. Because we’re changing the Defense Department. Putting the Pentagon back in the hands of warfighters. And anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news doesn’t matter. So I’m happy to be here at the Easter Egg Roll with my dad and my kids.”
Asked if he had spoken to the president, Hegseth said he had.
