Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) became the first sitting GOP member to suggest President Donald Trump fire Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth following a second round of allegations regarding mishandling sensitive information.
Hegseth reportedly shared sensitive information about military operations in Yemen in a private chat on the Signal app with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer, according to the New York Times. The report marked the second time Hegseth participated in group chats containing sensitive information on an unclassified messaging platform.
During an interview on Monday with Politico, Bacon said the group chats containing information about the missions against the Houthis were “totally unacceptable.”
When the Washington Examiner reached out for comment, Bacon referred to his remarks in the Politico article, saying, “If the reporting is true, this is unacceptable. I would never tell the White House what to do, but I wouldn’t tolerate it.”
Bacon, a centrist Republican, also split with Trump earlier this month when he introduced legislation to give Congress more authority over tariffs amid Trump’s Liberation Day announcement.
The White House has defended Hegseth despite the allegations, saying Trump continues to have confidence in the defense secretary.
“The president absolutely has confidence in Secretary Hegseth,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday morning. “I spoke to him about it this morning, and he stands strongly behind him.”
According to the report, the chat was titled “Defense | Team Huddle” and included information on flight schedules for F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis. Hegseth shared the information on the strikes two months later, on March 15. The group chat was created before his Senate confirmation, and he reportedly used his personal phone to access it.
“I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience,” Bacon told the outlet. “I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern.”
NPR published a story Monday reporting that the White House was looking to replace the secretary following these allegations. Leavitt later wrote on X that this story was “FAKE NEWS.”
Hegseth slammed the media Monday morning at the White House’s annual Easter Egg Roll.
WOMEN IN POLITICS TURN TO CLOTHING RENTAL SERVICES TO MIX UP CAPITOL HILL WARDROBE
“What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax,” Hegseth said on the White House lawn.
“This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations,” he continued.
Rachel Schilke contributed to this article.