Trump Defends Defense Secretary After Second Signal Chat Leak Reveals Details of Yemen Air Strikes

President Donald Trump has emphatically defended his Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, following reports that a second Signal group chat contained detailed discussions about planned military air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The controversy comes just a month after the accidental inclusion of a journalist in an earlier Signal group, which revealed conversations among senior US cabinet officials outlining similar attack strategies.

The leaked second Signal chat, reportedly created by Hegseth himself and titled ‘Defense | Team Huddle,’ included flight schedules for American F/A-18 Hornets slated to conduct strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Crucially, the group also included members of Hegseth’s wife Jennifer Rauchet’s professional network, her brother Phil, and his personal lawyer Tim Parlatore – raising questions about why individuals with access to sensitive military information were part of this closed communication channel.

The existence of the first Signal group was initially exposed by Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of *The Atlantic*, who inadvertently joined it after being contacted by Mike Waltz, Trump’s National Security Advisor. Officials within the Pentagon previously used this initial chat to strategize upcoming strikes in Yemen, and while the White House has denied that classified information was exchanged in that instance, critics argue discussing such operations in unsecure messaging apps poses a significant risk.

Following the revelation of the second Signal chat, Trump publicly expressed his “great confidence” in Hegseth during an impromptu press conference on Monday, dismissing the reports as coming from “disgruntled employees.” He echoed Hegseth’s earlier statement criticizing the media, accusing them of ‘slash and burn’ tactics. Hegseth himself denounced the news coverage as a smear campaign, attributing it to officials he recently fired for alleged unauthorized disclosures. He also suggested the leak was orchestrated by those he had ousted, claiming they were attempting to damage his reputation.

The White House has attempted to downplay the significance of the second Signal chat, stating that no classified information was shared within the group. However, the details revealed – including flight schedules and target designations – have fueled concerns about potential security breaches. The United States’ ongoing air strikes in Yemen are aimed at punishing Houthi attacks on commercial vessels transiting through the Red Sea, a vital international trade route. Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched increasingly aggressive drone and missile attacks on ships, resulting in two sunk vessels and the loss of life. The Houthi-led government has framed these actions as support for Palestinians during the conflict in Gaza, often exaggerating their claims regarding targets. A recent US air strike targeting an oil terminal in northern Yemen resulted in at least 74 fatalities and over 170 injuries, prompting accusations from the Houthi-run health ministry of a “war crime.”

The Pentagon is currently facing scrutiny for its use of messaging apps like Signal, which employs end-to-end encryption. While this technology offers robust security for communications between individuals, it provides no protection against breaches if devices are compromised or unauthorized users gain access to group chats. Experts generally advocate for secure, government-controlled communication systems when discussing sensitive military operations. Furthermore, the recent firing of three Pentagon officials over an alleged unauthorized disclosure – coupled with the emergence of this second Signal chat – has raised concerns about internal dysfunction within the Department of Defense and its leadership.