Pete Hegseth was asked about his wife attending high-level sensitive military meetings. Here's what happened next

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under scrutiny again. Amid the fallout over the Signalgate group chat between top US national security officials that inadvertently added a veteran US journalist, Hegseth is under fire again for reportedly bringing his wife to two meetings with foreign military officials.

In a purported video, Jennifer Hegseth could be seen in a video following her husband into a meeting in Brussels with allies to strategize over Ukraine, reported the Wall Street Journal. Jennifer Hegseth's presence caused "surprise", but the meeting went on without objections, the report stated.

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What did Pete Hegseth respond?

Pete Hegseth's wife attending meetings with foreign defense officials during which sensitive information was discussed comes at a time when he is already facing huge criticism over the chat leak row. Though the White House has dismissed the investigation and has closed the case, Hegseth was at the receiving end for detailing plans of a military strike in a group chat on Signal, made public by a journalist at the Atlantic who had been added to the chat.

When asked about the controversy during his trip to Japan, Pete Hegseth smiled but did not comment, a video shows. Hegseth's wife Jennifer was present at two meetings where sensitive information was discussed, many people familiar with the matter or those who were present at the meetings told the WSJ.


A former Fox News producer, Jennifer was reportedly present at a March 6 meeting at the Pentagon with Britain’s Secretary of Defence John Healy and Admiral Tony Radakin, head of the U.K. armed forces. It was a high level meeting with top UK military officials that took place a day after the US announced it would stop sharing military intelligence with Ukraine. The discussions included the rationale for the decision and future military collaboration.

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The second meeting reportedly took place Brussels in mid-February at Nato headquarters during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the report said, citing two people who attended. That meeting, on the sidelines of the conference of NATO defense ministers, was a gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — some 50 nations that periodically meet to coordinate the production and delivery of weapons and other support for Ukraine.

Why has this sparked controversy?

A defense secretary has the discretion to invite anyone to meetings with foreign counterparts. But according to the WSJ report, those attending such sensitive meetings usually have high-level security clearances. While the spouses of defense officials sometimes receive low-level security clearances, it is unclear whether Hegseth’s wife has any clearance.

Hegseth also brought his brother, Philip Hegseth, a podcast producer, on official visits, according to the Journal. Philip Hegseth accompanied his brother to Guantánamo Bay and is currently with him during Hegseth’s tour of Asia.

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Phil Hegseth, Pete Hegseth's younger brother, is a Department of Homeland Security liaison to the Defense Department, the Pentagon confirmed to the Associated Press. He's a former public affairs advisor to the Hudson Institute think tank where, his online biography says, he "led production of Hudson's podcasts, video products, and website design." Phil also previously worked at a veterans nonprofit run by Pete Hegseth.

In a statement to the Journal, department spokesperson Sean Parnell said that it is “pretty clear to me that [the Journal’s] story is going to be filled with inaccuracies and will not be written in good faith”