Pete Hegseth’s Critics Mock His New Crusade to ‘IDENTIFY AND PROSECUTE LEAKERS’: ‘Arrest Yourself Then?’

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ignited a firestorm of criticism this week when he released a new video clip to social media vowing to crack down on leakers at the Pentagon.

Hegseth’s critics called him out for his past national security lapses, particularly in the so-called SignalGate scandal, where he took part in a group chat about sensitive military matters with a journalist mistakenly added to the unsecure discussion.

“As you know, we live in a dynamic and dangerous threat environment where access to and accumulation of closely held information is key to understanding our world. The unauthorized disclosure of sensitive War Department information has the very real potential to cause exceptionally grave damage to our national security and the operational integrity of our armed forces,” Hegseth began in his highly stylized clip.

After further commenting on the risks leaks pose, Hegseth announced, “To combat the dangers that leaks pose, effective immediately, I have delegated tasking authority to the War Department’s Office of General Counsel, empowering OGC to request and receive all information, records, and support across the Department concerning media leak investigations. All Department components and personnel will prioritize these requests, and any taskings issued by OGC under this authority must receive a full and complete response within 48 hours of issuance.”

CNN anchor Jake Tapper called out Hegseth’s Signal use in a reply to the clip.

“I know of one leak that put our brave pilots at risk!” Tapper wrote before sharing the Pentagon Inspector General’s conclusions about Hegseth’s Signal use, which included putting his wife in a chat where top officials discussed bombing a foreign country.

Tapper added:

Pentagon IG: “Evaluation of the Secretary of Defense’s Reported Use of a Commercially Available Messaging Application”

Finding: “The Secretary sent nonpublic DoD information identifying the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile territory over an unapproved, unsecure network approximately 2 to 4 hours before the execution of those strikes using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send nonpublic DoD information through Signal risks potential compromise of sensitive DoD information, which could cause harm to DoD personnel and mission objectives.”

Jeffery Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic and the journalist at the heart of SignalGate, replied with a watching emoji.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) added, “You mean like when you discussed war plans in your easily-hackable Signal group chat?”

Below are some more reactions from Hegseth’s many critics:

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