The head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, is mired in scandals. What the media is writing
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- The head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, is mired in scandals. What the media is writing
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has found himself in the spotlight due to a new leak of confidential information and accusations of poor management of the Pentagon. US President Donald Trump has publicly expressed his support for him, but the former Fox News anchor's chances of retaining his position are falling. What the world's media write about the scandal is in the Izvestia digest.
Associated Press: White House expresses support for Hegset
US President Donald Trump has expressed support for Hegseth following accusations that he shared confidential military details in yet another Signal chat, this time with his wife and brother. The White House made it clear that they consider informants within the department to be the culprits of the scandal.
Associated Press
"It's just fake news. They're just making up stories," President Donald Trump told reporters. — I think it looks like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that's exactly what he's doing. So you don't always have friends when you do that," Trump said.
The administration's position was aimed at resisting Democratic demands for Hegseth's dismissal at a time when the Pentagon is in turmoil, including the departure of several senior aides and an internal investigation into information leaks. The White House also tried to divert attention from the consequences for national security, presenting it as the result of an institutional power struggle between Hegset and hired officials.
CNN: Hegseth is safe for now
Trump spent huge political capital on approving Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, because the current head of the Pentagon reflects Trump's unconventional political identity and instincts. The purpose of his choice was to show that the conventions and traits that usually define top national security officials are not applicable in his second term as president.
CNN
That's why Hegseth seems safe for now, despite the stunning new revelations that he shared secret military plans in a group chat that included his wife and brother, among others, after an earlier scandal over him divulging details about the strikes in Yemen in a chat with senior officials..
The former Fox News anchor will not behave like a security official who protects confidential information at the cost of his life. Firing Hegseth three months after he took office, which began with warnings from national security experts about his dangerous unpreparedness to lead the Pentagon, would force an embarrassed Trump to admit that he had made a mistake.
Politico: Hegset can "explode itself" with Trump's support
Doubts are growing among Trump's allies about how long the defense minister, who is in a difficult situation, will be able to hold out. Although Trump and Hegseth unanimously reject leaks to the press from former Pentagon officials, two people close to the White House suggested on April 21 that he was still in a difficult situation because the unrest inside the Department of Defense was real.
Politico
As one of them put it, the former Fox News anchor can "explode on his own." Another person close to the White House admitted that Trump likes Hegseth's "vitality and youthfulness," but he may get tired of the distraction and unrest inside the Pentagon.
Trump and Hegseth had a private conversation after a former Pentagon official criticized his leadership on March 20. According to a person familiar with the conversation, the message to Hegset behind closed doors corresponded to the public one. Trump, at least for now, is expressing his support for him. However, it is also likely that the president will eventually decide to marginalize the minister rather than expel him.
Reuters: The Pentagon begins to turn against Hegset
Hegseth is rebuilding the U.S. Department of Defense with astonishing speed, firing top generals and admirals in an effort to implement Trump's national security agenda and stamp out diversity initiatives that he considers discriminatory. The latest scandal broke out after the dismissal of assistants brought by the Trump administration to the Pentagon. The dismissals were caused by a leak investigation ordered by Hegseth's chief of staff on March 21.
Reuters
Among the dismissed assistants is Dan Caldwell, a longtime colleague of Hegseth, who became one of his most trusted advisers. He was escorted out of the Pentagon last week due to leaks for which he denies responsibility. Deryn Selnik, Hegseth's deputy chief of Staff, was also fired.
One official said that the dismissals of the military and those who were suspended during the leak investigation had created an atmosphere of uncertainty at the Pentagon. According to him, Hegseth is more focused on minor issues that are gaining popularity on social media among his conservative base than on a clear statement of national security policy.
The New York Times: Congress is unhappy with the Hegset scandals
The pressure on Hegseth increased after the news about the second group appeared on the Signal messenger. Don Bacon, a member of the House of Representatives, became the first Republican member of Congress to declare that Hegseth's behavior was unacceptable and that he deserved to be fired. A former Air Force general who serves on the Armed Services committee said it would be "completely unacceptable" for Hegseth to talk to his family over the phone about missions in Yemen.
The New York Times
"Russia and China are all over his phone, and the fact that he's uploading classified materials to his phone is wrong," he added. "He acts like he's above the law, and that shows he's an amateur." Asked to clarify his comments, Bacon said he would "never tell the White House what to do," but that he would "not tolerate" Hegseth's behavior if he were in power. "If the reports are true, this is unacceptable," he said.
Prominent Democrats have also called for an investigation into Hegseth. Senator Adam Schiff of California has demanded that the National Archives and Records Administration conduct an investigation into the Trump administration's use of Signal and other messaging apps.
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