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Former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton has said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should leave his job “for his own safety’s sake.”
The former Bush UN ambassador and foreign policy hawk was asked on CNN if Hegseth should remain in the post.
“No, I think he should resign for his own safety’s sake, if nothing else,” he said. Bolton went on to say that he had particular concerns about the secretary following the revelations that he shared sensitive information regarding strikes on Yemen on the messaging app Signal in group chats that included his wife, brother, personal attorney, and inadvertently, in a separate chat with cabinet-level officials, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg.
Bolton added that it “is a critical time for the American military. We understand the Trump administration will rightly propose enormous budget increases for defense. We need it. “
“We need a secretary who can get the job done, not somebody who spends his time on Signal chat groups,” he argued.
“I almost never used my personal cell phone,” he said about his time as Trump’s national security adviser during the president’s first term.
“I mean, the breaches of security at risk in this conduct are enormous. And I think that’s one reason why he shouldn’t be in the job,” he argued.
Even though he was a part of Trump’s first administration, Bolton has become one of the president’s most ardent critics.
Hegseth has faced several controversies in recent weeks, including his use of Signal and his management at the Pentagon, where he has seen several of his top aides depart the administration amid disputes over leaks.
Both the secretary and the administration have pushed back against accusations that the use of Signal was inappropriate, saying that no classified information was shared on the app.
Meanwhile, Trump recently told The Atlantic that he believes that Hegseth will “get it together.”
Then, speaking to ABC on Tuesday, the president said, “I had a talk with him, and whatever I said, I probably wouldn’t be inclined to tell you.”
“But — we had a good talk. He’s a talented guy. He’s young. He’s smart, highly educated,” he added. “And I think he’s gonna be a very good defense, hopefully a great defense secretary.”
Bolton’s comments come as the Republican majority in the U.S. House blocked a vote to hold an inquiry into Hegseth’s Signal use.
Washington Democratic Rep. Adam Smith told NPR that the Republicans blocked the vote because they know Hegseth’s actions are "indefensible." Smith filed a resolution of inquiry, which means that a member in the minority can force an investigation.
"They are so afraid of this issue — they can't defend it — that they don't want to talk about it," said Smith. "And they will go to extraordinary process lengths to try to prevent Congress from doing its job of exercising oversight over the Pentagon."
House Speaker Mike Johnson said ahead of the Tuesday vote that “we’re using the rules of the House to prevent political hijinks and political stunts. And that’s what the Democrats have.”
“So we’re preventing this nonsensical waste of our time. We don’t have time to waste,” said Johnson.
English (US) ·