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.
