Signal Chat leak Scandal: Pete Hegseth Shared Yemen War Plans With Family, Says Report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth created another Signal messaging chat that included his wife and brother where he shared similar details of a March military airstrike against Yemen’s Houthi militants that were sent in another chain with top Trump administration leaders, The New York Times reported.

The second chat on Signal — which is a commercially available app not authorized to be used to communicate sensitive or classified national defense information — included 13 people, sources said. They also confirmed the chat was dubbed “Defense ' Team Huddle.”

The New York Times reported that the group included Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, who is a former Fox News producer, and his brother Phil Hegseth, who was hired at the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland Security liaison and senior adviser. Both have traveled with the defense secretary and attended high-level meetings.

White House Dismisses Claims

The White House late Sunday dismissed the report as a “non-story,” suggesting that disgruntled former Pentagon employees were spreading false claims.

Also Read: Top Republicans Push for Inquiry Into Signal Chat Breach

“No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared,” said Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary. “Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”

'We Made a Mistake': Mike Waltz 

The first chat, set up by national security adviser Mike Waltz, included a number of Cabinet members and came to light because Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was added to the group.

The messages, sent to Jeffrey Goldberg, accidentally exposed specific details about the attack on Houthi military targets, raising serious concerns over operational security.

Waltz, in his first interview on the security breach with Fox News, said, "It’s embarrassing, yes. We’re going to get to the bottom of it," adding We’ve got the best technical minds looking at how this happened."

When asked if the staffer is responsible for adding the journalist to the group, Waltz said, "A staffer wasn’t responsible. I take full responsibility. I built the group. My job is to make sure everything is coordinated."

Although the Trump administration has maintained that no classified information was posted to the Signal chat, the conversation reveals details about US bombings, drone launches, strike packages, and even specific weapons planned for use against Houthi forces. The chat also included details about the exact timing of the attack, favorable weather conditions, and confirmation of a “target terrorist” being killed.

The group, named “HOUTHI PC SMALL,” included Vice President JD Vance,  Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, among other officials.

Details of launch times for F-18 fighter jets and MQ-9 drones, along with a timeline of expected strikes, were also exposed. One message stated that the first bombs were set to drop at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

With the US conducting strikes against the Houthis since November 2023, the administration is under growing scrutiny to clarify how the breach happened and whether it jeopardized the Yemen operation. The reliance on unclassified apps by Trump’s team has raised broader concerns about national security risks as the investigation continues.