Report: TWH Looking To Replace Pete Hegseth

NPR reported Monday that the White House has initiated the process of seeking a new Secretary of Defense to replace Pete Hegseth, despite public statements of support from President Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

The report, based on a single U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly, has sparked controversy, with the White House and its allies swiftly denouncing it as "fake news." 

The development comes amid ongoing scandals surrounding Hegseth, particularly his sharing of sensitive military information in unsecured Signal group chats, which has fueled criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans. 

REPORTER: Do you remain confident in Pete Hegseth?

TRUMP: Why would you even ask a question like that? pic.twitter.com/fk5vMdEVcS

— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) April 21, 2025

Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army National Guard combat veteran, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as Secretary of Defense following Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election. His nomination was contentious from the outset due to his lack of experience managing large organizations, allegations of personal misconduct (including a 2017 sexual assault accusation he denied), and controversial statements about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the military. Despite these challenges, Hegseth was narrowly confirmed by the Senate on January 24, 2025, with a 50-50 vote, broken by Vice President JD Vance.

Hegseth

As Secretary of Defense, Hegseth oversees the Department of Defense (DoD), which includes 1.3 million active-duty service members, nearly 1 million civilians, and an annual budget approaching $1 trillion. His tenure has been marked by efforts to implement Trump’s agenda, including reversing DEI policies, deploying troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, and increasing military actions against Houthi militants in Yemen. However, his leadership has been plagued by internal turmoil and public controversies.

The report emerged just one day after The New York Times disclosed that Hegseth had shared details of U.S. military strikes in Yemen in a second Signal group chat, which included his wife, brother, personal lawyer, and senior advisers. This followed an earlier incident in March 2025, where Hegseth shared similar details in a Signal chat that accidentally included a journalist, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. NPR confirmed with the same official that Hegseth used his personal phone to share details of the Yemen strikes with his wife and brother minutes after being briefed by a senior U.S. military official.

Trump dismissed the allegations as "fake news" during a White House Easter Egg Roll event on April 21, 2025, asserting that Hegseth is "doing a great job" and pointing to high military recruitment numbers and successful operations against the Houthis as evidence. He suggested that the criticism comes from former Pentagon officials fired by Hegseth, who are now retaliating through leaks to the media. Hegseth echoed this narrative, calling the reports "hit pieces" based on "anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees" and denying that any classified information was shared. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also backed this claim, accusing the media of relying on biased sources to undermine Trump’s agenda.

In recent weeks, Hegseth dismissed four senior advisers—Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick, Colin Carroll, and another unnamed official—allegedly for leaking information to the media. The three named officials issued a joint statement on X, expressing disappointment and alleging they were slandered without evidence. They claimed they were not informed of the specific reasons for their termination or the nature of the leak investigation.

John Ullyot, a former Pentagon official and initial Hegseth supporter, published a scathing op-ed in Politico Magazine, describing the Pentagon as “in disarray” under Hegseth’s leadership. Ullyot accused Hegseth’s team of spreading false claims about the dismissed officials and suggested that Hegseth’s tenure was unsustainable.