Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has a lot of issues on his plate, but his biggest one may be a couple of his aides, according to a new report from Politico.
Two of Hegseth's aides are under investigation by separate Inspector General offices for allegedly violating the department's classified documents policy and for their involvement in the Signalgate controversy. The investigation seeks to determine whether one senior aide, Ricky Buria, helped set up an unsecured internet line that allowed Hegseth to use Signal and whether Buria leaked classified information, the outlet reported, citing three sources familiar with the investigations.
A similar investigation is being conducted into Hegseth's personal attorney and senior advisor, Tim Parlatore, regarding classified information leaks.
“Ricky and Tim are some of the folks that they’re zeroing in on as they try to get to the root of everything,” one of the people familiar with the probes told Politico.
The consecutive probes concerning Hegseth's aides speak to the dysfunction that has rocked the Defense Department since the second Trump administration began.
On one hand, the focus on Parlatore raises questions about conflict of interest regulations within the department. Parlatore served as Hegseth's attorney before joining the Defense Department when Hegseth was nominated as Secretary.
The department has also faced significant criticism since Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, was added to a Signal chat group that included multiple Trump cabinet officials discussing plans to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen.
All of this comes at a time when the department faces multiple challenges abroad, ranging from the war in Ukraine to defending against potential terrorist attacks from Iran.