Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is lashing out after a new investigation was launched into “Signalgate” — the scandal where he reportedly compromised a military operation by sharing sensitive details over an unsecured app.
The bipartisan probe, ordered by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), is looking into Hegseth’s use of the Signal app to communicate information about a surprise U.S. attack on Houthi rebels. According to a report released last week, the move may have endangered troops on the ground. Hegseth and the White House have denied any wrongdoing — but the inspector general’s report paints a very different picture.
It says there was a clear security breach, and it calls the denials from Hegseth’s team a cover-up.
Hegseth isn’t taking it well. His spokesperson, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell, fired back late Tuesday night, dismissing the investigation as political theater.
“This entire exercise is a sham, conducted in bad faith and with extreme bias,” Parnell said. He also labeled the review “clearly a political witch hunt.”
The timing couldn’t be worse for Hegseth. According to The Washington Post, he’s been floating the idea of leaving the Pentagon for a run at political office in Tennessee. But that may hit a legal wall — state law requires candidates for governor to live in Tennessee for at least seven years. Hegseth doesn’t meet that requirement.
Post reporter Dan Lamothe wrote, “The inspector general’s findings are expected as people who know Hegseth increasingly question what his long-term plans are. He has discussed seeking political office in his adopted home state of Tennessee, including running for governor, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Whether he stays in D.C. or tries to head south, Hegseth now carries a political and security scandal that won’t be easy to shake.
