Rep. Don Bacon speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 24, 2023. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Monday became the first Republican member of Congress to openly indicate support for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth‘s removal from office.
Why it matters: Hegseth is under fire for a series of scandals including the departures of several of his top officials at the Pentagon and new reporting about his use of Signal to discuss sensitive information.
- Several Pentagon officials who left amid allegations of leaking have in turn publicly criticized the Defense Department.
- The New York Times reported Thursday that Hegseth shared information on strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen to a Signal chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
What he’s saying: “The military should always pride itself on operational security. If the reports are true, the Secretary of Defense has failed at operational security, and that is unacceptable,” Bacon told Axios.
- “If a Democrat did this we’d be demanding a scalp. I don’t like hypocrisy. We should be Americans first when it comes to security,” he added.
- Bacon is the chair of a House Armed Services subcommittee and one of just a handful of House Republicans in districts that Kamala Harris carried last year. He first made his comments to Politico.
The other side: President Trump suggested he is standing by Hegseth, telling reporters, “Pete’s doing a great job. Everybody’s happy about him.”
- He said of reports about Hegseth’s Signal use and allegations of dysfunction at the Pentagon: “It’s just fake news, they just bring up stories. It sounds like disgruntled employees.”
- Hegseth similarly dismissed the reporting, with the White House also pushing back on an NPR report that aides are eyeing replacements for him.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
Go deeper
Turmoil engulfs Pentagon as fresh Signal allegations hit Hegseth
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, earlier this month. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is battling a series of major setbacks that portray the Pentagon as an agency in deep turmoil — including a fresh bombshell report on his use of Signal and the brutal defection of a one-time close ally.
Why it matters: The new revelations raise questions about Hegseth’s ability to run the nation’s largest government agency and who’s been privy to typically secret Defense Department communications.
