WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gives a thumbs up as U.S. President Donald Trump address a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has no one to blame but himself for the serious leak of highly classified military information, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said on CNN's "OutFront" — and he has to acknowledge the buck stops with him.
The Trump White House was plunged into turmoil and finger-pointing on Monday after it was revealed that Hegseth disclosed specific plans detailing where and how the U.S. could initiate and attack in a group chat on Signal that included not only a number of national security officials who should know better, but a reporter as well.
"Senator, you just heard the Defense Secretary refer to Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic reporter who Mike Waltz invited into the group chat, right, he was invited by the group, and then he sat in there and nobody ever looked — he called him a 'deceitful so-called journalist,'" said anchor Erin Burnett. "He didn't have any answer as to why he was in the group or, or anything. I mean, what do you make of his response? How he's chosen to answer it? He, of course, is the one who posted those war plans."
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"First of all, you know, as Secretary of Defense and as a former Army officer, you know, the Secretary of Defense should know better," said Gallego. "He needs to take responsibility for what happened under his watch. If I had done any of this as a Marine, I would have clearly been court-martialed."
Indeed, he noted, lower-level people who have been this negligent with classified information there have "done some very serious time" — and this also comes soon after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed criminal retribution for anyone who leaks from her department.
"The fact that [Hegseth] won't take any leadership, any ownership, and try to get to the bottom of this puts us even in a worse situation," Gallego continued. "Operational security is extremely important, not because it keeps the reputation of the Secretary of Defense. It's what keeps our armed services, armed forces safe. And the fact that there is such a cavalier attitude should really worry everybody that cares about our armed services."
Watch the video below or at the link here.