In response to Republicans and top defense officials’ growing concerns with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s incompetence and threats to national security, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Pete Hegseth must resign — even Republicans and top defense officials know he’s got to go. Because of Hegseth’s incompetence, our most sensitive national security intelligence isn’t safe — and our adversaries are watching. Every day that Hegseth remains in power, America’s national security is at risk.”

NEW: As top defense officials voice concern about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s incompetence, Republicans are joining Democrats in calling for the “least experienced defense secretary” to be fired. 

Politico: “Rep. Don Bacon, a prominent Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, became the first sitting GOP lawmaker Monday to suggest President Donald Trump should fire Pete Hegseth — calling the chaos at the Pentagon one reason why many Hill Republicans were privately uneasy with the Defense secretary’s nomination in the first place.”

Washington Post: “Pentagon officials have watched the unraveling of Hegseth’s inner circle with alarm, concerned how it would function in a national security emergency and wondering whether the president may be forced to act.”

New York Times: “Under Hegseth, Chaos Prevails at the Pentagon”

“The discord, according to current and former defense officials, includes: screaming matches in his inner office among aides; a growing distrust of the thousands of military and civilian personnel who staff the building; and bureaucratic logjams that have slowed down progress on some of President Trump’s key priorities … 

“The problems inside Mr. Hegseth’s office have been compounded by a growing distrust of civil servants and senior military officials who serve as the Pentagon’s institutional memory …

“Some Pentagon officials said that Mr. Hegseth’s team have been combing through their old social media posts and writings, searching for possible signs of disloyalty to Mr. Trump or his movement. Three civilian Pentagon officials said that their bosses had asked them to provide copies of their résumés so they could prove their ‘patriotism’ to Mr. Hegseth’s office. In all three cases, the employees had served in combat; two of them had been wounded in Afghanistan.

“The mistrust has extended to senior military leaders who have worked in Democratic and Republican administrations over the course of their decades-long careers.”

Just this week, it was revealed that Hegseth shared critical military operational details AGAIN, putting active duty service members’ lives at risk, threatening America’s national security, and raising questions about his fitness to lead from those closest to him. 

New York Times: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen on March 15 in a private Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, according to four people with knowledge of the chat.

“Some of those people said that the information Mr. Hegseth shared on the Signal chat included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen …

“One person familiar with the chat said Mr. Hegseth’s aides had warned him a day or two before the Yemen strikes not to discuss such sensitive operational details in his Signal group chat, which, while encrypted, is not considered as secure as government channels typically used for discussing highly sensitive war planning and combat operations.”

CNN: “Hegseth shared detailed military plans in second Signal chat that included his wife and brother”

“[T]he chat … had more than a dozen people in it …

“The revelation comes as some of Hegseth’s closest advisers have begun sounding the alarm about the secretary’s judgment, including his former press secretary, John Ullyot, and three former senior officials Hegseth fired last week — his top adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, who served as chief of staff to the deputy secretary of defense.”

This is the second time Hegseth has exposed critical military operational details and risked active duty service members’ lives. 

The Atlantic: “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans” 

“At 11:44 a.m., the account labeled ‘Pete Hegseth’ posted in Signal a ‘TEAM UPDATE.’ I will not quote from this update, or from certain other subsequent texts. The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East, Central Command’s area of responsibility. What I will say, in order to illustrate the shocking recklessness of this Signal conversation, is that the Hegseth post contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing. …

“Brian Hughes, the spokesman for the National Security Council, responded two hours later, confirming the veracity of the Signal group.” 

REMINDER: Hegseth already faced major concerns about his fitness to lead before his confirmation. 

NPR: “If confirmed, he would be the least experienced defense secretary in the history of the republic, going back to Henry Knox, the first secretary of war who was a key officer in Washington’s army. Those who rise to that post often come from Capitol Hill, industry or the highest ranks of the officer corps.”

Politico: “Hegseth, if confirmed by the Senate, would lead 1.3 million active-duty troops in uniform and more than 750,000 civilians, hold contentious meetings with U.S. allies and develop strike options against the Islamic State and Iranian proxies. And while Hegseth has military experience, he has never run an organization larger than a small nonprofit. …

“‘Folks are shocked,’ said a current DOD official. ‘He’s just a Fox News personality that’s never worked in the government.’ …

“‘It is a massive bureaucracy, you have to understand how that works to support national security around the globe,’ [another] official added. ‘It is tedious and challenging and it is not at all related to getting on Fox News and pontificating.’”

Wall Street Journal: “Republican senators said that they want closer scrutiny of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary. … The former Fox News host was an unconventional choice for the top Pentagon job, as he has never led a large government agency, but the debate about his qualifications has been overshadowed by allegations related to his personal life.”