this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2025
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Existence of group chat including Hegseth, his wife and others prompt calls for defense secretary to step down

A former top Pentagon spokesperson has slammed Pete Hegseth’s leadership of the department of defense, as pressure mounts on the US’s top military official following reports of a second Signal chatroom used to discuss sensitive military operations.

John Ullyot, who resigned last week after initially serving as Pentagon spokesperson, said in a opinion essay published by Politico on Sunday that the Pentagon has 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 defense secretary.

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[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 281 points 2 days ago (3 children)

step down

How about we call for his arrest and trial?

[–] brendansimms@lemmy.world 118 points 2 days ago (1 children)

yes - as a war criminal for ordering the murder of Yemeni citizens

[–] theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 73 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Yep its rather disgusting how lots of people frame these things to just criticize his unprofessionalism and gloss over and ignore the war crimes.

[–] KittyKalledKarma@slrpnk.net 27 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Considereding the Hague invasion clause is still in place in the U.S.A it's not surprising.

No one has ever been meaningfully punished there for war crimes or mass murder but if you're incompetent/ a leaker the state department is on your ass quick.

I mean ffs the democratic party threw anti genocide protestors under the bus rather then critique Israel over its ongoing genocide. It's honestly just a reflection of what seems to be the average American mentality.

[–] C45513@lemm.ee 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

rampant war crimes aren't surprising; the US has been doing that for forever. But there used to be the veneer of competence, so I understand why that's the part that's getting the focus.

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

At least in the time of Obama they changed the definition of "Killed Enemy Combatant" to be "Every dead male of military age" to make the collateral casualty numbers of their "targetted" drone murders in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan look less outrageous.

The current bunch don't even care enough or are competent enough to manage the optics by "adjusting" a few definitions to shift the counts.

Mind you, for those on the receiving end of the bombings, the effects are still the same.

Probably because criticizing the US for war crimes leads to Democrats too

There are reasons the US doesn't give a shit about the ICC

[–] Litebit@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago

The one who gave him that job needs to be held accountable as well.

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[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 80 points 1 day ago (1 children)

who could have guessed that a Fox News pundit would make a shit secretary of defense.

[–] Wilco@lemm.ee 25 points 1 day ago

Pretty much everyone that doesnt have Trumps balls in his mouth called that one.

The same goes for the antivax weirdo with a brain worm and pretty much all the MAGA picks.

[–] j0ester@lemmy.world 43 points 1 day ago

Whiskey Leaks is at it again.

Pretending like Putin didn’t order an insecure alcoholic wife beating racist to be secdef and the plan is going perfectly for him in America is weird

[–] Gerudo@lemm.ee 48 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Susan Collins told me he learned from his first mistake though. I'm starting to think he didn't.

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago

What he learned is that there are no real consequences for such "mistakes"

[–] Typhoonigator@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago

Thirty or forty more mistakes like this, and I might start to think this Susan Collins might not be a good judge of character

[–] D_C@lemm.ee 9 points 1 day ago

He learned how to do it better, not how to not do it.

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[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

He is doing a fantastic job, he is great. I have met his wife, really good Americans.

[–] Brumefey@sh.itjust.works -1 points 20 hours ago

A true patriot.

[–] recall519@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago
[–] finder585@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Donald Trump Jr pushed back on the opinion piece, saying the author is “officially exiled” from Trump’s political movement. “This guy is not America First,” Trump Jr wrote on X. “I’ve been hearing for years that he works his ass off to subvert my father’s agenda. That ends today.”

The fuck?

The MAGA movement is a cult. Don Jr, the eldest son of the cult leader, is telling the other cultists this author is excommunicated from the cult. Thus the cultists know to ignore anything relating to this topic and can continue their blind devotion in peace.

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 39 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Others do and HAVE been court martialed for less. Like no hyperbole, you are fucked if you are anyone else.

[–] Dlayknee@lemmy.world 33 points 1 day ago

That's what I can't get over. I mean sure, we know double standards are rife in this administration but OMG how is the entire security community and leadership (looking at you, Congress) not absolutely losing their minds at this? Didn't they send a SWAT team or something after one of the War Thunder forum leakers for posting a simple manual?! This is just insane.

[–] My_IFAKs___gone@lemmy.world 53 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Former major makes major blunder by signaling major incompetence on Signal, forcing former major to seek force majeure immunity.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Former major makes major blunder by signaling major incompetence on Signal, forcing former major to seek force majeure immunity.

The general consensus is that the private information shared on Signal is a major problem that should probably lead to corporal punishment.

[–] My_IFAKs___gone@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

🎖️🏅🥇

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 46 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What a weird fucking opinion piece (the linked Politico story, not the OP)

Last week, a month after leaving my public affairs role, I respectfully declined the secretary’s generous offer for a new position and informed him of my decision to leave the department, wishing him all the best. I value his friendship and am grateful for his giving me the opportunity to serve. I salute his leadership in helping the president make America strong again.

Yet even strong backers of the secretary like me must admit: The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration.

“I love the guy like a brother, but what a complete fuck-up” sandwiched in with so much trump butt-licking it’s beyond gross.

[–] booly@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

This is how politics works under an authoritarian: senior officials throwing other officials under the bus by appeal to the authoritarian's ego.

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[–] the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 37 points 2 days ago

This just in, the dumbest mother fucker you know might actually be dumber.

[–] NotSteve_@lemmy.ca 32 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Not gunna lie, I’m feeling a bit better about any potential invasions of sovereign nations

[–] chainysawrs@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Me too, until i realize there might still be an attempt, and it will be extremely stupid in planning.

[–] NotSteve_@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Blitzkrieg but instead the plans are so stupid you can’t prepare for them…

[–] zaphodb2002@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago

I mean, that's kinda what blitzkrieg was. Just give your mechanized units a bunch of meth and tell them to just push as far as they can as fast as they can with no coordination. Worked to take France.

[–] ClanOfTheOcho@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"What do you mean this isn't Greenland, Captain?! If it isn't Greenland, then where are we? I mean, look at how green everything here is, it must be Greenland, right? Falkland Islands? What's that??"

[–] mister_flibble@lemm.ee 7 points 1 day ago

Greenland Landscaping and Garden Center

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"Signal group chat leaked that a bombing run of Vancouver is planned. Chat was leaked by Hesgeths mom, who didn't know why she was added and just wanted to ask questions about when would be a good time to buy eggs.

In response, Hesgeth blamed the media for reporting on things and stuff."

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

I’m not. These guys clearly made terrible choices.

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[–] dabailli@feddit.uk 16 points 1 day ago

I’m actually a little surprised that the fact he was an atrocious appointment took to as long to be proven!

It’s also crazy to me that we’re still in the “could cost him his job” era

[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 days ago (7 children)

Trump really hasn't fired anyone yet, has he? Strap in, Pete. It's gonna be a rough week at the office.

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

No, he's fired an IRS director because one of the other members of the legion of doom pointed out that Elon's pick investigated J6ers or something

[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago

Oh that's right, just this week, right? 72 hours?

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[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sad, sad Drinky Pete. He's cursed with too many friends who share names in his phone.

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[–] Gowron_Howard@lemm.ee 6 points 1 day ago

This is just another badge on his lack of a resume for the 3rd Trump term unfortunately.

[–] cronenthal@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What I don't get about this is the reason. You'd think maybe more insider trading, but why would you need such specific information for that? A simple "attack on Yemen at...“ would be enough. In the first chat at least the people were tangentially concerned with the content, but his wife and lawyer? And ten more associates? For what, bragging rights? He must have known on some level that this is quite sensitive information and should not be shared with just about anyone. The sheer stupidity of all this is incomprehensible to me, it truly boggles the mind.

And one more thing: all of this has had no real consequences for the troops yet, but these kinds of failures will lead to catastrophic outcomes eventually. The Pentagon is now a clown-show and it is dealing with live-and-death decisions constantly. What a crazy time.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What I don’t get about this is the reason.

The man is, as predicted, staggeringly incompetent. He's just that bad at his job.

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[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Mr President, there's been a second Signal chat.

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