Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly brought his wife, a former Fox News producer, to two meetings with foreign military officials where sensitive information was divulged.
His wife, Jennifer Hegseth, can be seen in photos during his March 6 meeting with his U.K. defense counterpart. While Hegseth is allowed to invite anyone to meetings with foreign counterparts, attendees are usually limited to those who “need to know” and have security clearances.
Some at the meeting reportedly didn’t know who Jennifer Hegseth was or were surprised by her presence, according to the Wall Street Journal. It is unknown whether she has a security clearance.
“When you have meetings with ministers or high-level NATO officials, those meetings almost always include sensitive security conversations,” Chuck Hagel, a Republican former secretary of defense who served under President Barack Obama, told the outlet. “If you are going to discuss top secret, national security issues, you have to be very selective. What’s the relevancy of the person you are inviting?”
Hagel said Hegseth’s wife’s presence at the meetings “sends a message to the department: Why is the secretary doing that? It puts staff on guard over what to say and to whom. It introduces an issue you don’t need to introduce.”
The Pentagon has itself published pictures of Hegseth’s wife with him in meetings with foreign counterparts. https://t.co/OyHc46FlgZ pic.twitter.com/nXxk5J9imW
— Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) March 29, 2025
Hegseth has already been under fire for his role in “SignalGate,” when national security adviser Michael Waltz accidentally invited a journalist to a group chat with several high-ranking defense officials. Hegseth shared airstrike plans on a Houthi target in Yemen, drawing criticism for sharing the information over a non-government channel.
He is already drawing some criticism for his wife’s appearances at the meetings.
Democratic strategist and former local party chairman Chris D. Jackson called on Hegseth to resign, posting on X, “No clearance. No job. Massive national security breach. He needs to resign — now.”
Bill Kristol, who was chief of staff to former Vice President Dan Quayle, invoked SignalGate in poking fun at the Trump administration over the matter.
“Waltz invites Jeffrey Goldberg to join a highly sensitive text chain, Hegseth invites his wife to sit in on highly sensitive meetings,” he wrote on X. “It’s just a friendly, welcoming, inclusive administration.”
Jennifer also attended a NATO meeting in Brussels last month, where allied officials discussed their support for Ukraine. Hegseth has also brought his brother, who works as a Department of Homeland Security liaison to the Defense Department, to official meetings.
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When contacted by the Wall Street Journal, a Pentagon spokesman showed considerable skepticism about the accuracy of their report. He said it is “pretty clear to me that your story is going to be filled with inaccuracies and will not be written in good faith.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Department of Defense for comment, but received no response.
