'Witch hunt!' Hegseth snaps at probe that threatens to destroy future plans

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at the results of a bipartisan-ordered review of his part in what has become known as "Signalgate," where he put military personnel in potential danger during what was supposed to be a surprise attack against Houthi rebels.

According to the report that came out last week, Hegseth and the White House's contention that he did not error by broadcasting details of the assault on the unsecure Signal app was a cover-up for the former Fox News personality's national security face-plant.

The Washington Post is reporting that the review comes at an inopportune point for the embattled Hegseth, who is looking beyond his current, and tenuous job, at the Pentagon.

According to the Washington Post, late on Tuesday, Hegseth's spokesperson fell back on the Donald Trump playbook while attempting to dismiss the new criticism.

The inspector general review was ordered by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Jack Reed (D-RI), and was blown off by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, who labeled it "clearly a political witch hunt."

He added, "This entire exercise is a sham, conducted in bad faith and with extreme bias.”

The Post's Dan Lamothe also reported the Trump appointee may already have bigger plans after leaving the administration.

"The inspector general’s findings are expected as people who know Hegseth increasingly question what his long-term plans are. He has discussed seeking political office in his adopted home state of Tennessee, including running for governor, according to people familiar with the matter," he wrote, before adding that may be problematic since Tennessee law requires candidates to live in the state for seven years before running for office.

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