Pentagon officials condemn Washington Post report revealing Pete Hegseth’s security details, claiming it endangers the defense secretary and his family.
Pentagon officials are enraged by a report they say jeopardizes the safety of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his family by disclosing sensitive security details.
The report, dubbed a exclusive and headlined „Hegseth’s expansive security requirements tax Army protective unit“, cites unnamed „officials“ who insist Hegseth is straining the agency tasked with protecting him because of „unusually large personal security requirements.“
„The sprawling, multimillion-dollar initiative has forced the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, or CID, the agency that fields security for top Defense Department officials, to staff weeks-long assignments in each location and at times monitor residences belonging to Hegseth’s former spouses, the officials said“, the Post reported. „Army CID has faced significant staffing and budgetary shortfalls for years, but new demands since Hegseth’s arrival in January have put added pressure on the agency.“
The article noted that Hegseth requires additional resources because of a „large blended family“ with homes in several locations, „a rise in politically motivated violence as the nation has become more splintered“ and a bomb threat „made against his home in Tennessee.“
Pentagon officials believe that a CID staffer talking to the press is equivalent to a Secret Service agent revealing sensitive details about the president’s protection and informing adversaries that Hegseth’s protection is strained can increase the likelihood of a security breach.
The report also revealed the state where Hegseth’s second wife currently resides, noted that „CID security assignments can entail accompanying the children to school and walking the perimeter of the homes“, and criticized the secretary of defense for taking his family to a Washington Nationals baseball game.
