The spouse of the US protection secretary, Pete Hegseth, attended two conferences with international protection officers throughout which delicate info was mentioned, in response to a brand new report from the Wall Avenue Journal.
The Journal’s report on Hegseth arrived late on Friday as he confronted scrutiny for detailing plans of a army strike in a group chat on Sign, made public by a journalist on the Atlantic who was added to the chat. A number of Democrats have known as for his resignation whereas a bipartisan group of senators despatched a letter to the protection division calling for an inquiry into the group chat.
Hegseth’s spouse, Jennifer Hegseth, has been current at two conferences the place delicate info was mentioned, in response to the Journal, citing a number of individuals who had been current on the conferences or have data of her presence at them.
The primary assembly reportedly was a high-level dialogue on the Pentagon with high UK army officers, together with the UK secretary of protection, John Healey, that occurred in early March, a day after the US introduced it might cease sharing army intelligence with Ukraine.
The second reportedly occurred in Brussels in mid-February at Nato headquarters throughout a gathering of the Ukraine Protection Contact Group, a discussion board of about 50 nations meant to assist coordinate army help for Ukraine because it tries to battle off the invasion Russia launched in 2022.
A protection secretary has the discretion to ask anybody to conferences with international counterparts, however officers cited by the Journal mentioned that these attending a majority of these conferences normally have high-level safety clearances. Whereas the spouses of protection officers generally obtain low-level safety clearances, it’s unclear whether or not Hegseth’s spouse has any clearance.
Hegseth’s spouse is a former producer of the community tv present Fox & Pals, the place Hegseth was a co-host beginning in 2017. The couple married in 2019.
Hegseth additionally introduced his brother Philip Hegseth a podcast producer, on official visits, in response to the Journal. Philip Hegseth accompanied his brother to Guantánamo Bay and is presently with him throughout Hegseth’s tour of Asia.
The protection division didn’t instantly reply to a Guardian request for remark. In a press release to the Journal, division spokesperson Sean Parnell mentioned that it’s “fairly clear to me that [the Journal’s] story goes to be crammed with inaccuracies and won’t be written in good religion”.
Chuck Hagel, an former Republican secretary of protection who served below former president Barack Obama, advised the Journal that nationwide safety officers must watch out about whom they invite to conferences with international counterparts.
“If you’ll talk about high secret, nationwide safety points, it’s important to be very selective,” Hagel mentioned. “What’s the relevancy of the individual you might be inviting?”
Although the Pentagon has largely pinned the blame for the Sign group chat leak on the nationwide safety adviser, Mike Waltz, Hegseth’s means to deal with the delicate nature of his job as the highest army official within the nation has additionally been known as into query. On Thursday, a federal choose ordered officers, together with Hegseth, to protect all messages within the Sign group chat.
Republicans have largely defended Hegseth and have disregarded the group chat fiasco in public. However stories counsel that there are some who’re privately involved about Hegseth’s conduct.
“You’re not going to listen to an enormous public outcry,” an nameless GOP official advised Politico. “However privately, there may be numerous concern about his judgment.”
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