White House DOUBLES DOWN on Hegseth — SLAMS Fire…

A Second Signal Chat Sparks Outrage
The controversy stems from a New York Times report detailing a second Signal group chat, dubbed “Defense | Team Huddle,” allegedly created by Hegseth. According to sources familiar with the messages, the chat included Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet, a former Fox News producer with no official Pentagon role, his brother Phil Hegseth, and his personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, both of whom hold Defense Department positions. The group reportedly discussed operational details, including flight schedules for F/A-18 Hornet strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15, 2025.

This revelation follows a prior incident in which Hegseth and other cabinet officials inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, in a Signal chat discussing plans to attack Houthi rebels. While the White House has denied that classified information was shared in either instance, critics, including former defense officials, argue that such discussions on private platforms could endanger U.S. military personnel. Signal’s end-to-end encryption ensures message security, but experts note that sharing sensitive information outside secure government channels risks unauthorized disclosures.