Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who's under criticism for not maintaining security in planning strikes in Yemen, brought his wife along to two meetings with foreign officials for discussions of sensitive military information. Jennifer Hegseth, a former producer for Fox News, is not an employee of the Defense Department, and the Pentagon would not say whether she has a security clearance. Although the secretary can invite anyone to such meetings, it would be unusual for anyone without clearance to attend, the Wall Street Journal reports, and security staffers usually are assigned to keep that from happening. In addition, Hegseth's younger brother is on the Pentagon payroll, per the AP. Details include:
- Meeting No. 1: Pete and Jennifer Hegseth went to NATO headquarters in Brussels last month for a discussion of allied defense officials' support for Ukraine. Such meetings, which take place behind closed doors, often involve nations offering information they do not want made public, such as details about aid to Ukraine. Some participants did not not know who Jennifer Hegseth was, per the Journal, though no one objected to her presence.
- Meeting No. 2: The Hegseths met with UK Secretary of Defense John Healey and Adm. Tony Radakin, who heads British armed forces, at the Pentagon on March 6. That was the day after the Trump administration said it had stopped sharing military intelligence with Ukraine. Participants told the Journal that the administration's reasoning for the intelligence decision and possible future US-UK military cooperation were discussed.
- Phil Hegseth: The secretary's younger brother has been hired as senior adviser to the secretary for the Department of Homeland Security and liaison officer to the Defense Department, a spokesperson said. The Pentagon also confirmed that Phil Hegseth is traveling with the secretary on official visits, including the current one to Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, and Japan, per the AP. The adviser's public resume indicates that he founded a podcast production company and worked in social media and on podcasts for the Hudson Institute. Tax records show he was paid $108,000 for work he did for Concerned Veterans for America, the nonprofit where Pete Hegseth had a problematic reign.
A 1967 federal nepotism law enacted in 1967 bars government officials from hiring, promoting, or recommending family members for any civilian position over which they have control. The AP has seen an image of a Pentagon organizational chart that shows Phil Hegseth in a small group just below his brother, the secretary. (More
Pete Hegseth stories.)
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