Pentagon Watchdog Targets Hegseth Over Signal Chat Use

The Pentagon’s Inspector General has opened an investigation into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s use of the encrypted messaging app Signal during high-level national security discussions. The move comes after an anti-Trump journalist claimed he was accidentally added to a group chat that included Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and other top officials discussing potential military strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis.

The review, led by Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins, was initiated after Senate Armed Services Committee members no doubt eager to score political points demanded a probe into what they called the use of an “unclassified commercially available messaging application.”

Let’s translate that: they’re upset Hegseth used Signal instead of whatever outdated government system they prefer never mind that no classified information was shared, according to both the White House and the Trump administration.

Here’s what’s really going on:

• The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, a liberal writer notorious for smearing Trump and his allies, was added to the chat in March and ran to the press.

• The chat reportedly included Trump’s inner circle, including Tulsi Gabbard, Mike Waltz, and JD Vance all of whom represent the new, assertive America First national security posture.

• The administration has made clear that the Signal group was used for informal, non-classified coordination, not to circulate war plans.

Hegseth, a decorated veteran and staunch defender of the military, has dismissed the investigation as a baseless political distraction. And he’s right. The real story here isn’t about Signal it’s about the institutional panic gripping Washington as Trump-aligned leaders bring real accountability and transparency to the defense establishment.

This is how the swamp fights back: by weaponizing procedure and protocol to slow down bold leadership. Instead of focusing on the strategic threat posed by Iranian-backed militias, the Pentagon is now devoting time and resources to comb through chat logs because a liberal journalist cried foul.

Let’s not forget that under Biden’s leadership, the Pentagon oversaw the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, leaving behind $7 billion in U.S. military equipment and emboldening America's enemies. But when Trump’s team takes decisive action in the Middle East, the bureaucrats want to inspect who used what app.

The IG’s office plans to conduct its review in Washington, D.C., and at U.S. Central Command in Florida an effort that will undoubtedly generate more paperwork than progress. Meanwhile, the Trump administration remains laser-focused on restoring strength abroad and order at home.

This investigation isn’t about national security. It’s about protecting a decaying establishment that’s terrified of the new leadership rising within its own walls.

Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter for more updates the media won’t give you.