Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office has dismissed a Pentagon watchdog investigation concerning his distribution of a sensitive attack plan via a messaging app back in March, labeling the independent probe as a “political witch hunt.”
In a statement to Hill on Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell claimed that details of the Pentagon Inspector General’s (DOD IG) investigation were leaked to the media by what he called “Biden Administration Holdovers,” noting there’s no concrete evidence that the investigation was initiated in response to calls from both Republicans and Democrats in April.
“The general assessment of this inspector is clearly a political witch hunt by the Biden administration holdover,” Parnell stated, adding, “The fact that they are beginning to leak to the already failed New York Times.”
This was also the first time Parnell publicly acknowledged that Hegseth had provided a statement to the DOD IG.
The response followed a report from the Washington Post, which indicated that Hegseth had communicated a message about U.S. plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen through at least two secure signal chats. This message was said to have originated from an email marked “Secret/noforn.”
The attack plan had originally been disseminated among over a dozen defense personnel through classified emails sent via a system authorized by General Michael “Eric” Kurira of the U.S. Central Command, according to the report.
Hegseth is currently facing heightened scrutiny after Washington highlighted the unclassified Signal Group chat details just before the planned attack on March 15th. He also shared information in another chat that included his wife, siblings, and personal attorneys.
The phrasing “witch hunt” seems to echo President Trump’s strategy for countering public examination, frequently viewed as a tactic to diminish findings that clash with his administration’s narrative.
However, it’s noted that the IG review was prompted by requests from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), making it difficult for the Trump administration to simply label it as a partisan assault.
The upcoming Watchdog Report is anticipated to determine whether Hegseth and his team adhered to Pentagon policies in utilizing commercial messaging apps for official matters.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has consistently asserted that the signal group chat, which was brought to light after an editor for the Atlantic Prime Minister was inadvertently included, does not contain classified information.
DOD IG spokesperson Mollie Halpern has refrained from commenting on the review when approached by Hill.
