Hegseth under pressure over reports of second Signal chat on Houthi strike

Pressure was mounting on the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, yesterday, following reports of a second Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military operations, while a former top Pentagon spokesperson criticised Hegseth's leadership of the Department of Defense.

- Edward Helmore

John Ullyot, who resigned last week after initially serving as Pentagon spokesperson, said in an opinion essay published by Politico on Sunday that the Pentagon had been overwhelmed by staff drama and turnover in the initial months of the second Trump administration.

Ullyot called the situation a "full-blown meltdown" that could cost Hegseth, a 44-year-old former Fox News host and national guard officer, his job as defence secretary.

"It's been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president - who deserves better from his senior leadership," Ullyot wrote.

Donald Trump Jr pushed back on Ullyot's opinion piece, saying the author is "officially exiled" from Trump's movement. "I've been hearing for years that he works his ass off to subvert my father's agenda. That ends today," Trump Jr wrote on X.