Hegseth’s Own Words Come Back to Haunt Him After Texting War Plans
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth probably regrets mistakenly sending the Trump administration’s classified plans to attack Yemen to Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, not least because he’ll have to eat his own words.
In 2016, while working for Fox News, Hegseth repeatedly criticized then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for storing classified information on a private email server at her home. In one instance, Hegseth pointedly asked: “How damaging is it to your ability to recruit or build allies with others when they are worried that our leaders may be exposing them because of their gross negligence or their recklessness in handling information?”
Pete Hegseth in 2016: "How damaging is it to your ability to recruit or build allies with others when they are worried that our leaders may be exposing them because of their gross negligence or their recklessness in handling information?" pic.twitter.com/CZsm4cn2EP
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) March 24, 2025
In the same segment, Hegseth also remarked on the recklessness and danger of Clinton’s actions.
“The people we rely on to do dangerous and difficult things for us rely on one thing from us: That we will not reveal their identity, that we will not be reckless with the dangerous thing they are doing for us. That’s the national security implications of a private server that’s unsecured,” Hegseth said.
Pete Hegseth in 2016: "The people we rely on to do dangerous and difficult things for us rely on one thing from us: That we will not... be reckless with the dangerous things they are doing for us. That's the national security implications of a private server that's unsecured." pic.twitter.com/KC4agv2tUI
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) March 24, 2025
Later, in 2023, Hegseth spoke on Fox News about classified documents found at President Biden’s home (which Biden cooperated with investigators to return, unlike Trump).
“If at the very top, there’s no accountability … then two tiers of justice exist,” Hegseth said, comparing Biden to a Navy sailor who was jailed for photographing classified areas of a submarine.
Pete Hegseth in 2023 on Biden "handling classified documents... flippantly": "If at the very top there's no accountability," then we have "two tiers of justice." pic.twitter.com/GHYBEqrP5c
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) March 24, 2025
All of this exposes Republican double standards when it comes to classified information. Hegseth’s 2016 attacks on Clinton’s server seem quaint compared to sharing military plans outside of government communications on a Signal chat with a journalist present, as Hegseth did.
Hegseth’s attacks on Biden’s lack of accountability for his handling of classified documents were hypocritical even without Monday’s revelations, as Trump faced no legal consequences for keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and refusing to return them. In keeping with Hegseth’s own statements, should he, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and everyone else in the Signal chat face accountability for discussing secret military plans outside of government servers and channels?