Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said Sunday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has “created chaos” at the Pentagon amid staffing shakeups and recent reporting surrounding information about airstrikes in Yemen shared in Signal group chats.
“The fact is, Pete Hegseth was not qualified to take the job as Secretary of Defense, and he has shown that time and again,” Shaheen said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Hegseth, a 44-year-old Army veteran and former Fox News host, faced scrutiny during the confirmation process early this year, becoming among President Trump’s most embattled picks for top posts in his administration. The Senate ultimately approved his confirmation in a narrow vote. But in recent weeks, he’s faced renewed scrutiny over the use of the encrypted messaging app Signal.
Last week, reports circulated that Hegseth shared details about impending U.S. airstrikes in Yemen in a private Signal group, which included his wife, his brother and personal attorney. It was the second Signal group chat where Hegseth shared the information, after it was revealed last month a journalist was inadvertently included in a group chat where the timing and targets of the attack on Houthis in Yemen was shared.
CBS News reported Friday that the Pentagon set up a system in Hegseth’s office that enabled him to check messages on Signal while at the office. Two of the sources said the system bypasses standard Defense Department security protocols. A Defense Department spokesperson denied there is currently any use of Signal inside Hegseth’s office.
Meanwhile, a number of political appointees have resigned or been fired at the Pentagon in recent days, leaving Hegseth without some key staff.
Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that Hegseth has shown he isn’t qualified for the role by sharing the information over Signal and by not having appropriate staff to support him, accusing him of creating “chaos that is now embroiling our uniform military.” She added that he has “not taken responsibility for his actions.”
“For those people who serve under him, he has shown that he is not the kind of role model, not the kind of leader that we need at this time,” Shaheen said.
In response to Shaheen’s comments, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell instead pointed to the previous administration. Parnell cited “Chaos at the Pentagon” as evidenced by the Afghanistan withdrawal and “a divisive DEl culture that destroyed service member morale.” He also pointed to a “weak leadership” that he said led to Russia invading Ukraine, Hamas attacking Israel, and Houthi rebels shooting at U.S. ships, along with the “the invasion of our U.S. southern border by transnational criminal gangs.”
“During all this very real chaos, not a single person was fired or held accountable and Sen. Shaheen stayed silent,” Parnell said. “Secretary Hegseth is bringing accountability and warfighting back to the Pentagon. The American people care about results — so far SecDef gets an A+.”
In March, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, announced a bipartisan request for an expedited watchdog investigation into the Signal chat leak. Shaheen said it’s “important” that the request was bipartisan, adding that she’s hopeful “they will come out soon with recommendations.”
The GOP-led Senate Armed Forces Committee advanced Hegseth’s appointment in January, and Shaheen was joined by all fellow Democrats on the committee in voting against advancing him. Vice President JD Vance had to break the tie to confirm Hegseth, the first time in history a vice president broke the tie on a Defense Secretary.
Hegseth pushed back on the criticism last week, telling reporters that “a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out.”
“We’re changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of warfighters,” Hegseth said. “And anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news doesn’t matter.”
Eleanor Watson
contributed to this report.
