Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs A new report says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brought his wife to “sensitive” meetings with foreign officials.The report comes amid intense scrutiny of Trump administration officials for using an encrypted app, Signal, to reportedly communicate military plans while including a journalist on the thread.Newsweek reached out to the Department of Defense (DOD) via email late Friday night for comment.Why It MattersWashington has been ensnared in the aftermath of reports of the Signal communications held by Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, among others this month.Goldberg says he was included in the message thread with President Donald Trump officials. The journalist reported that the text exchange included U.S. military plans involving airstrikes against the Houthis, the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen who’ve been launching attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea amid a clash over control of shipping routes.The handling of private military discussions among top officials in Trump’s Cabinet has also triggered significant U.S. security concerns.Hegseth has repeatedly rebuked Goldberg’s report saying, “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.” Waltz also took a swipe at Goldberg on Tuesday, calling him the “bottom scum of journalists.”
Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth is seen listening as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth is seen listening as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
What To KnowThe Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Hegseth brought his wife Jennifer Hegseth to two meetings with foreign military officials, citing multiple people present or with knowledge of the meetings.One meeting was reportedly held with U.K.’s Secretary of Defense John Healey in the Pentagon on March 6 and discussions included the United States’ decision to withdraw from sharing military intelligence with Ukraine amid their war with Russia, the Wall Street Journal reports.Defense officials told the Wall Street Journal that attendance lists for secretary meetings usually involve people with security clearances due to “the delicate nature of the discussions.”The second meeting was reportedly at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium in February. The meeting was a gathering of officials from other nations to discuss support for Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal says.Citing people familiar with the meetings, “Some foreign attendees at the meetings didn’t know who Jennifer Hegseth was,” the Wall Street Journal added.Amid the immediate fallout from the Signal chat leak, Hegseth has faced calls for resignation. Trump administration officials continue to come to his side in the wake. President Trump did say this week he wanted to look into the incident, tasking Walz with following up.What People Are SayingFormer Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, a Republican under former President Barack Obama told the Wall Street Journal: “When you have meetings with ministers or high-level NATO officials, those meetings almost always include sensitive security conversations,” Hagel said.”If you are going to discuss top secret, national security issues, you have to be very selective. What’s the relevancy of the person you are inviting?”Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Wall Street Journal in a response to a request for comment on the report: “pretty clear to me that your story is going to be filled with inaccuracies and will not be written in good faith.”Chris D. Jackson, a Tennessee Democrat, on X, formerly Twitter on Friday: “🚨 BREAKING: Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brought his Fox News producer wife to a NATO meeting on Ukraine and a classified Pentagon briefing with the UK Defense Secretary, per WSJ. No clearance. No job. Massive national security breach. He needs to resign — now.”Conservative Bill Kristol, notable Trump critic, on X on Friday: “Waltz invites Jeffrey Goldberg to join a highly sensitive text chain, Hegseth invites his wife to sit in on highly sensitive meetings. It’s just a friendly, welcoming, inclusive administration.”
