Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is facing more criticism after an exclusive piece in the Wall Street Journal reported there has been at least two instances where his wife has attended meetings where “sensitive information was discussed.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Jennifer Hegseth, a former Fox News producer, attended meeting with the secretary and U.K. Secretary of Defense John Healey on March 6.
She was also at a February NATO meeting in Brussels. In this meeting, allied defense officials discussed their support for Ukraine, according to two people who attended the meeting.”
Hegseth’s brother, Philip Hegseth, who works at the Department of Homeland Security, has also been traveling with Pete Hegseth.
According to Mediaite, the WSJ reported a secretary has the discretion on who can and cannot attend such meetings with foreign dignitaries.
“… but attendee lists are usually carefully limited to those who need to be there and attendees are typically expected to possess security clearances given the delicate nature of the discussions, according to defense officials and people familiar with the meeting. There is often security near the meeting space to keep away uninvited attendees,” per the report.
However, to have a wife at a meeting is out of the norm, the article stated.
“Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Hegseth, isn’t a Defense Department employee, defense officials said. It isn‘t uncommon for spouses of senior officials to possess low-level security clearances, but a Pentagon spokesperson declined to say whether Jennifer has one. Jennifer didn’t respond to requests for comment,” the outlet reported.
Some at the meetings did not know who Jennifer Hegseth was.
“Others were surprised by her presence, but proceeded without raising objections, the people said. It isn‘t clear whether her presence affected what was discussed at either session,” per the outlet
The WSJ asked current and former defense officials if this happens often.
“When you have meetings with ministers or high-level NATO officials, those meetings almost always include sensitive security conversations,” said former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, a Republican who served in the Obama administration.
“If you are going to discuss top secret, national security issues, you have to be very selective. What’s the relevancy of the person you are inviting?” he said.
This is the latest instance where people have been left questioning Hegseth ability to do the job.
On Monday, “The Atlantic” reported that Jeffrey Goldberg, the publication’s editor-in-chief, was invited to attend a Signal group chat regarding upcoming airstrikes in Yemen.
Goldberg was added to the chain by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
Many are sounding off on X about Hegseth’s wife attending the meetings.
