Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is facing a growing storm of criticism following a Wall Street Journal report that revealed his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, attended high-level meetings involving sensitive military discussions with foreign officials. Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, reportedly accompanied her husband to at least two such meetings, raising serious concerns about security protocols and the appropriateness of her presence.
According to the Journal, one of the meetings took place on March 6 at the Pentagon with U.K. Secretary of Defense John Healey, just one day after the U.S. announced it would no longer share military intelligence with Ukraine. Sources familiar with the meeting said key topics included the rationale behind the intelligence cutoff and plans for future military cooperation between the U.S. and U.K.
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Jennifer Hegseth also reportedly attended a meeting in February at NATO headquarters in Brussels. There, defense leaders discussed ongoing support for Ukraine, according to two individuals present at the meeting. The report also noted that Pete Hegseth’s brother, Philip Hegseth, has participated in official visits as well.
“At the closed-door discussions, national representatives routinely present confidential information, such as donations to Ukraine that they don’t want to be made public,” the report stated.
The news comes amid an already turbulent period for Hegseth, who is under fire for disclosing details of a U.S. airstrike on Yemen’s Houthi militants in a private Signal group chat that included a journalist, reportedly without his knowledge. The messages included live updates and sensitive timing information.
The presence of Jennifer Hegseth in these classified meetings has alarmed experts and former officials who argue that it undermines the integrity and security of diplomatic discussions.
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“When you have meetings with ministers or high-level NATO officials, those meetings almost always include sensitive security conversations,” said Chuck Hagel, former Secretary of Defense under President Barack Obama. “If you are going to discuss top secret, national security issues, you have to be very selective. What’s the relevance of the person you are inviting?”
Another former official expressed disbelief, telling the Journal, “That would be strange and would not make any sense.” As questions mount, Hegseth’s judgment and handling of classified matters remain under intense scrutiny.
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