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ew revelations about the unauthorized dissemination of sensitive military data via an unprotected messaging app by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have escalated calls for his resignation, marking the scandal’s third consecutive day of repercussions.
“Hegseth is doing an excellent job; he was not part of this,” Trump told reporters late Wednesday after The Atlantic published further transcripts from a Signal group chat that included Hegseth, various high-profile Trump aides, and journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who was mistakenly added to the discussion. The messages revealed that Hegseth shared real-time details about a U.S. airstrike on Yemen’s Houthi militants on March 15, including specifics about the launch timings of F-18 fighter jets, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and Tomahawk missiles—information that national security specialists classify as sensitive. In one message, Hegseth indicated the precise moment when “THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP.”
“Everyone involved in that text thread ought to be dismissed, but it is crucial for Pete Hegseth to resign,” stated Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in an interview with TIME on Wednesday, responding to the news that Hegseth had shared operational details on Signal.
Among the officials in the chat were Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who organized the chat and mistakenly included Goldberg. Following Hegseth’s actions, Waltz faced significant criticism and stated late Tuesday that he accepts full responsibility for the “embarrassing” leak.
Trump defended Hegseth, who had narrowly secured his position at the Pentagon just two months earlier, despite his lack of military experience compared to his predecessors and allegations of excessive drinking. “How do you bring Hegseth into this?” Trump queried reporters on Wednesday. “He wasn’t involved. It’s all a witch hunt.”
Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, remarked on Wednesday that “no military officer would endure this” and condemned the Administration’s handling of the incident as “an egregious breach of operational security.”
“Any military officer who accidentally leaked or carelessly handled such sensitive information would lose their security clearance and likely face a court-martial,” he asserted. “Secretary Hegseth should resign by noon today.” When asked about Waltz’s potential resignation, Ossoff added, “He’s also clearly incompetent and should be removed.”
Even some Republicans are now voicing the need for an investigation. Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi and chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced on Wednesday that he would call for an inspector general investigation into the use of Signal for discussing military operations. Although Signal is often praised for its encrypted messaging, it is generally not considered secure enough for national security communications.
Wicker, one of the few Republicans questioning Hegseth’s leadership, expressed concern over the Administration’s dismissal of the seriousness of the breach. “The information released recently appears to be of such sensitive nature that, to my understanding, I would have insisted on classifying it,” he told reporters.
The Trump Administration has maintained that the messages did not contain classified data. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to clarify the basis for the Administration’s position, instead asserting that the controversy was exaggerated and accusing The Atlantic of spreading misinformation. “Do you trust the Secretary of Defense, who was nominated for this role and confirmed by the United States Senate, who has served honorably in combat, or do you trust Jeffrey Goldberg, a registered Democrat and an anti-Trump sensationalist reporter?” she challenged reporters on Wednesday.
However, leading Democrats have strongly rejected the Administration’s dismissals. “It’s nonsense. What world do these people inhabit?” Senator Mark Warner, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told TIME regarding the Administration’s assertions that the shared information was unclassified. “When you detail the time, place, and type of weaponry used—do they think the American public is naïve?” Warner argued that the leak not only endangered American troops but also damaged trust with essential allies. “‘America First’ shouldn’t mean America alone, and that’s the direction we’re heading.”
When asked late Wednesday if he still believed the messages were unclassified, Trump replied, “You’ll have to ask the people involved… I really don’t know.”
Duckworth, herself a combat veteran, told TIME that the information shared in the chat was, by definition, classified. “The sequence of the attack and the types of platforms being used are automatically classified information,” she explained. “This information was shared in an unclassified setting before those pilots were in the target area. If that Signal chain had been compromised, those pilots could have lost their lives.”
Beyond the immediate risks to U.S. personnel, Duckworth expressed concerns about potential long-term diplomatic ramifications. “I’m certain our allies are reconsidering sharing classified information with us,” she told TIME. “We’ve shown that our Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, and the NSA are unable to protect classified data.”
During a tense House Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe defended their roles in the chat, claiming that similar information had been shared with U.S. allies. However, their explanations failed to convince Democrats, who accused the Administration of neglecting to protect crucial military strategies. Representative Jason Crow noted that the Houthis had successfully downed drones used in the operation and attributed the security lapse to the Administration. “This is a leadership failure, and that’s why Secretary Hegseth, who undoubtedly transmitted classified, sensitive operational information through this chain, must resign immediately,” Crow asserted.
Republican leaders, however, have surprisingly remained silent. Senator Mitch McConnell, the former long-serving Senate Majority Leader who voted against Hegseth’s confirmation, declined to comment when asked by TIME if he believed Hegseth should remain in his position. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, also refrained from commenting when asked whether Hegseth and Waltz should be terminated.
Democrats argue that the Signal incident is part of a troubling trend of negligent management of national security information during Trump’s presidency. From the outset, Trump has shown little regard for keeping the nation’s secrets safe, impacting relationships with U.S. intelligence partners. In 2017, he shared classified intelligence from Israel with Russia’s foreign minister during a meeting at the White House. “We’re witnessing a level of incompetence,” Warner told TIME. “If this were an isolated incident… but this is a pattern.”
Commenting on the broader implications of the ongoing scandal, Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, told TIME, “This is such a serious breach of national security that it’s hard to conceive someone surviving it. Yet, we’re in the Trump era, and anything seems possible.”
Despite the mounting pressure, the White House continues to back Hegseth and Waltz. Press Secretary Leavitt confirmed on Wednesday that the Administration had launched an internal investigation into how Goldberg was included in the Signal chat, with assistance from Elon Musk and his security team. However, she did not specify whether any officials would be dismissed. “What I can say for sure is that I just spoke with the president, and he maintains confidence in his national security team,” she stated.
For many Democrats in Congress, the absence of accountability among Trump’s national security team reflects a broader disregard for truth and responsibility. “Their first instinct is to lie, to cover up, or to construct a larger lie on top of a big lie,” commented Senator Adam Schiff of California in an interview with TIME on Tuesday night. “Whether they can persist in this depends on the American public and whether they demand more from their representatives in this firehouse of falsehood,” Schiff added.
