US defense chief shared military attack plan in another Signal chat group – report

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth shared info on forthcoming US air strikes on Yemen in a personal Sign chat group that included his spouse, brother and private lawyer, the New York Instances reported on Sunday.

AFP was not in a position to independently confirm the Instances’ report, which detailed what can be the second time Hegseth has been accused of sharing delicate army info on the business messaging app with unauthorized personnel.

Final month, The Atlantic journal revealed that its editor-in-chief was inadvertently included in a Sign chat wherein officers together with Hegseth and Nationwide Safety Advisor Mike Waltz mentioned the strikes, which befell on March 15.

The revelation sparked an uproar, with US President Donald Trump’s administration dealing with a scandal over the unintended leak. A Pentagon Inspector-Normal’s probe into that leak is ongoing.

On Sunday, the Instances reported that Hegseth had shared info on the identical March 15 strikes with the second Sign group chat.

The knowledge shared “included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets concentrating on the Houthis in Yemen,” the newspaper reported.

The outlet stated that in contrast to the unintended leak the place journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly included within the group, this group chat was created by Hegseth. The opposite chat was initiated by Waltz.

“It included his spouse and a few dozen different individuals from his private {and professional} interior circle in January, earlier than his affirmation as protection secretary,” the Instances’ reported, citing unnamed sources.

Hegseth’s spouse Jennifer is a journalist and former Fox Information producer. The group additionally included his brother Phil and Tim Parlatore, each of whom serve in roles on the Pentagon.

Parlatore additionally continues to function Hegseth’s private lawyer, the Instances reported.

The Pentagon didn’t instantly reply to an AFP request for remark.

– ‘Unconscionable’ –
Trump largely pinned the blame for the sooner leak on Waltz, however has dismissed calls to fireside high officers and insisted as a substitute on what he known as the success of the raids on the Yemeni rebels.

This week, three high Pentagon officers have been placed on depart pending investigations into unspecified leaks within the Protection Division.

Deputy chief of employees Darin Selnick, senior advisor Dan Caldwell and Colin Carroll hit again on Sunday, releasing a press release saying Pentagon officers had “slandered our character with baseless assaults.”

“At the moment, we nonetheless haven’t been informed what precisely we have been investigated for, if there’s nonetheless an lively investigation, or if there was even an actual investigation of ‘leaks’ to start with,” they stated in a joint assertion posted on social media.

“Whereas this expertise has been unconscionable, we stay supportive of the Trump-Vance Administration’s mission to make the Pentagon nice once more and obtain peace via energy.”