Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth found himself under fire on social media as he lashed out at a journalist who appeared to be inadvertently included in a private group chat on the app Signal — and was privy to top-secret war plans.
On March 15, just hours before the U.S. launched a series of strikes, Hegseth shared operational details in a Signal group chat that mistakenly included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Goldberg wrote Monday. The leaked information contained operational details of upcoming strikes on Yemen, specifics on targets, weapons to be deployed and the sequence of attacks.
The flub prompted fierce criticism across the political landscape and raised serious concerns about the handling of sensitive national security information. Signal is not an authorized platform for government officials to exchange classified data.
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While the National Security Council confirmed the authenticity of the message thread and is investigating how an unintended number was included in the chat, a defiant Hegseth attacked Goldberg, telling reporters Monday evening he's a "deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist" who has made a "profession of peddling hoaxes."
Predictably, social media critics lit up at Hegseth's comments.
S.V. Dáte, White House correspondent at HuffPost, noted on the X platform: “'Hoaxes' The WH has already confirmed the authenticity of the text chain."
Jonathan Chait, writer for the Atlantic, joked on X: "This is also what I say when Jeff has notes for my drafts."
Jim LaPorta, verification producer with CBS News, noted on X: "@SecDef @PeteHegseth seems slightly annoyed in having to respond to questions about @JeffreyGoldberg reporting."
Attorney and strategist Aaron Parnas, gave a blunt assessment: "Fire Hegseth."
Fred Wellman, host of the On Democracy Podcast, urged Hegseth to get on the same page as the White House. "Hey @PeteHegseth check your email. The NSC already confirmed it’s a real conversation you f---ing liar."
Independent journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X; "MAGA's only plays are whataboutism and attacking the messenger. Every. Time."
David Pepper, author of "Saving Democracy: A User's Manual for Every American," wrote on X: "He’s incompetent. And he’s a liar. Bad for any office. Disaster for federal cabinet post. A national security risk as SecDef. Get this unqualified blowhard out of there stat!"
