BURSTVeteran journalist Bob Woodward said Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “radiates unseriousness” amid controversy over a second Signal chat in which he shared sensitive military information with family members and a personal lawyer.
“So, you want that position to be … filled by somebody who's very serious, very competent, very focused on that mission, protecting the homeland, protecting the United States,” Woodward told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki in an interview Monday, while discussing the Defense secretary’s role.
“And having known and dealt with 16 of them, there is — you can have somebody like Gen. [James] Mattis, who was … probably the most serious person to ever work in Washington,” he continued. “And then, you know, the current secretary of Defense ... is — it's just too jokey. It's too unserious. And he kind of radiates unseriousness."
Woodward added, "And that's — that's a shame for him, for President Trump and for the country.”
On Monday, Hegseth took a swing at the media and what he called “disgruntled former employees” for the recent swath of criticism he is facing over the handling of battle plans.
Last week, three top Pentagon officials were suspended and later fired during an investigation into leaks within the department. In a joint statement posted to the social platform X on Saturday, the three fired officials said they were “incredibly disappointed by the manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended” and claimed that “unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door.”
In an op-ed published over the weekend in Politico Magazine, John Ullyot — a former Pentagon spokesperson who worked under Hegseth — slammed the secretary for his job performance, claiming the Defense Department was in "disarray."
“It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon," he wrote. "From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership."
“President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account. Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer,” Ullyot added.
Sean Parnell, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, responded Sunday to mounting scrutiny over the latest Signal controversy — which was first reported by The New York Times.
“Another day, another old story — back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda," Parnell told The Hill in a statement. "This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article."
The recent Signal controversy echoes last month's, in which a journalist was inadvertently added to the message chain discussing planned strikes in Yemen.
The Defense Department declined to comment on Woodward's criticism, pointing The Hill instead to the latest remarks from Hegseth and Parnell.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.