Top House Democrat Calls On Hegseth To Resign

The fifth-ranking House Democrat called for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign Tuesday.

Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.), the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus and an Air Force veteran, said Hegseth’s sensitive messages — which detailed the Pentagon’s plans to strike Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month — were “reckless” and put the lives of U.S. troops at risk. 

“Had that information gotten to the Houthis, American pilots could have been shot down, [and] Navy sailors could have been targeted,” Lieu said during a press briefing in the Capitol. “His reckless actions endangered lives of American troops, endangered our national security and makes it so that our allies don’t want to share sensitive classified information with us anymore.”

Lieu’s remarks came shortly after another top congressional Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for the resignations of two top Trump officials who participated in the group chat: Hegseth and Mike Waltz, the White House national security adviser.

The uproar was sparked Monday when Jeffrey Goldberg, the top editor of The Atlantic, published an explosive story revealing he had been invited to join a Signal group chat featuring many of the highest ranking officials in the Trump administration, including Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth and Waltz. 

On March 15, the discussion focused on the Pentagon’s plans to launch missile strikes against the Houthis, an Iran-backed group

Hegseth has denied that narrative, saying “nobody was texting war plans” while accusing Goldberg of concocting the allegations. 

“You’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again,” Hegseth said Monday. 

Hegseth’s denial, however, has been undermined by the White House National Security Council, which verified the authenticity of the group chat and said it’s looking into the story. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the White House “is addressing” the episode, and no disciplinary actions should be taken against Hegseth or Waltz. 

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) blamed the “leftist media” for focusing on process instead of Trump’s policies, which he said are popular.

“They can’t argue with this new demonstration of American strength that is keeping Americans safe at home and abroad, so now we’re griping about who’s on a text message and who’s not,” Hawley told Fox News on Monday. “I mean, come on.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), another Air Force veteran, said it’s a certainty that Russia and China intercepted the chat messages around the time the strikes occurred. 

“It’s a security violation, and there’s no doubt that Russia and China saw this stuff within hours of the actual attacks,” Bacon told CNN on Monday.  

Lieu piled on, accusing Hegseth and other Trump officials of neglecting their chief responsibility: safeguarding the country they serve.

“It shows how not serious these national security professionals take our national security,” he continued. “Hegseth needs to resign, and everyone on that text chain needs to go take some courses on how to deal with national security classified information.”