Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blew up at reporters Monday during the White House Easter Egg Roll — with his kids standing right next to him.
Clearly furious over a New York Times report that accused him of sharing military plans in a private Signal chat with unauthorized people — including his wife, brother, and personal lawyer — Hegseth unloaded on the press, calling them “hoaxsters” and accusing them of working with bitter ex-staffers to take him down.
“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 snapped.
He claimed the stories were planted by aides he recently fired. “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,” he added. “Not going to work with me, because we’re changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of war fighters.”
The Times story quoted four sources who said Hegseth had casually shared sensitive war planning in Signal chats that included non-government contacts — a serious breach of protocol.
And the heat wasn’t just coming from anonymous insiders. One of his former top officials, John Ullyot, who quit last week, called out Hegseth in an op-ed on Sunday. He said the fired staffers weren’t responsible for any leaks.
“Unfortunately, Hegseth’s team has developed a habit of spreading flat-out, easily debunked falsehoods anonymously about their colleagues on their way out the door,” Ullyot wrote. He described the current situation as a “strange and baffling purge” and warned that Hegseth was pushing out people closest to him for no clear reason.
The fired aides — including his former deputy chief of staff and a senior adviser — denied leaking anything. In a joint statement, they said they had no idea why they were dismissed.
“The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration,” Ullyot warned.
Despite growing backlash, Hegseth didn’t back down. He ignored questions about Ullyot and instead doubled down, using his children as a backdrop to blast the press.
“I’m happy to be here at the Easter Egg Roll with my dad and my kids because, you know, this is what we’re doing it for ― these kids right here,” he said. “This is why we’re fighting the fake news media.”
Then he turned to the press crowd and let them have it: “This group right here ― full of hoaxsters that peddle anonymous sources from leakers with axes to grind, and then you put it all together as if it’s some news story.”
The Pentagon didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, NPR reported the White House is already looking for Hegseth’s replacement — even though Trump said Monday he’s still standing by him. For now.
Watch the video below via Forbes:
