President Donald Trump praised Pete Hegseth, saying he's "doing a great job" despite facing criticism from "disgruntled employees." This comes as the defence secretary is dealing with staff firings, a leak investigation, and reports that he shared sensitive military attack plans in a second unsecured chat group.

At the traditional Easter Egg roll on the White House lawn on Monday, Trump referred to the military's attacks on Houthi insurgents in Yemen by saying, "Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction there is." The president showed his support after John Ullyot, who stepped down last week after a short time as the Pentagon spokesman, said that the Defence Department has been dealing with too much internal conflict and frequent staff changes during the early months of Trump’s second term. He described the situation as a “full-blown meltdown” that might even put the defence secretary’s job at risk. Ullyot’s criticism came after three senior officials from the Defence Department were reportedly fired during an investigation into possible leaks. These officials said they weren’t told what they were being investigated for or whether there was even a real leak investigation happening. 

Experts familiar with the Pentagon's methods were shocked by the public infighting. The American Enterprise Institute defence researcher Kori Schake commented, "I can't think of a precedent for this kind of recklessness among civilian leaders of the Pentagon." Hegseth, a 44-year-old former Fox News host and National Guard officer with combat experience but little management background, was already being criticised for sharing confidential details in a Signal chat group. The group was discussing a planned attack on the Houthis and included senior Trump administration officials as well as journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally added and later wrote about the incident. A second Signal chat has now come to light, where Hegseth shared details about the upcoming strikes in Yemen with a group that included his wife and brother, according to someone familiar with the situation. 

The second chat group, which was previously covered by the New York Times, was questioned. Trump said, “it’s the same old stuff from the media. That’s an old one. Try finding something new.” However, House Armed Services Committee member and Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska stated that "if the reports are true, it is unacceptable, and I wouldn't tolerate it." Since the story is based on "anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news," Hegseth stated on Monday that it "doesn't matter." He also conveyed assurance about his job stability. “I have spoken to the president, and we are going to continue fighting,” he told reporters at the White House. “On the same page all the way.” Trump chose not to remove Hegseth or National Security Advisor Mike Waltz after the initial Signal chat, which had been created by Waltz.

Two prominent senators have asked the Pentagon's inspector general to look into the incident. When asked about the second Signal chat, the inspector general's office spokesman, Mollie Halpern, stated that while the office is aware of the news reports, "we have nothing to say about that."

The Times and "all other Fake News that repeat their garbage" are "enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article," according to a statement posted to X by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. They seem to have an ulterior goal to undermine the President's and Secretary's objectives, and they solely cited the statements of those dismissed this week. “There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story,” Parnell said.