Ex-NATO Commander Blasts Pete Hegseth's 'Indefensible' Conduct With Searing Reminder

James Stavridis said the former Fox News host's reported Signal chat use has "gone from outrageous to truly egregious."

Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis slammed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday for his reported use of Signal to share highly sensitive military plans with Trump officials as well as family members and his attorney.

“There is absolutely no reason on the planet earth he should be doing that and he knows it,” said the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Hegseth’s use of the third-party messaging app in an interview with CNN’s Boris Sanchez.

“He’s a former major in the U.S. Army, he was trained throughout his time as a junior officer to protect and guard the nation’s secrets. He’s got to know that he has failed to do that.”

Hegseth — who shared details of upcoming attacks in Yemen in a Signal chat with senior Trump officials (and a journalist) — is reportedly close to being replaced in his post after The New York Times reported Sunday that he shared nearly identical details in a separate chat with his wife, brother and lawyer.

Stavridis argued that “Signalgate 2.0,” compared to the first chat involving high-ranking officials only to be “leaked inadvertently” to a member of the press, now involves “unclassified individuals who lack the need to know any of this.”