GOP senators rally behind Hegseth after Signal chat leak, say calls for his firing are 'hot garbage'

EXCLUSIVE: Republican senators are lasting down Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth amid calls for his resignation implicit the Signal chat leak, telling Fox News Digital that calls for him to beryllium fired are "hot garbage." 

Trump medication nationalist information officials are facing a barrage of antagonistic media sum this week aft Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was included successful a radical chat connected Signal, an encrypted messaging app, astir a onslaught against the Houthis successful Yemen. Goldberg aboriginal went connected to people the messages connected Wednesday.

HEGSETH SAYS NO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WAS SHARED IN SIGNAL GROUP CHAT: 'NOBODY'S TEXTING WAR PLANS'

Hegseth has doubled down that nary warfare plans oregon classified accusation were shared during the Signal radical chat of Trump medication officials astir imaginable strikes connected Houthi targets, which was mistakenly shared with a journalist.

Amid Goldberg’s work of the messages, Democrats person been calling for Hegseth and different officials to resign. 

But GOP senators are defending Hegseth. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital, "Defense Secretary Hegseth helped spearhead the palmy strikes we saw against the Houthis to support shipping lanes and support Americans safe." 

"That’s bully argumentation — and a triumph for the Trump administration," Hawley said. "The Democrats are conscionable trying to alteration the taxable and trash Hegseth due to the fact that Trump is connected a roll." 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., besides defended Hegseth, telling Fox News Digital that helium is "a decorated warfare leader who understands the needs of the warfighter." 

"In a substance of weeks, he’s taken bold enactment alongside President Trump to reconstruct lethality, merit and bid done strength. Recruitment numbers amusement this medication is inspiring young Americans to service their state successful uniform," Mullin said. "The Defense Department has achieved large occurrence nether Pete’s leadership, and anyone saying different isn’t paying attention."

And Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said that the calls for his resignation — particularly aft the palmy strikes — are "amusing." 

"In the aftermath of palmy strikes against Houthi terrorists, it’s amusing to spot 2 governmental camps onslaught the Secretary of Defense: extremist progressives who are aggravated that he’s getting escaped of woke DEI ideology and focusing connected lethality, and armchair generals who are huffy that helium wants to support America retired of unnecessary overseas wars," Lee told Fox News Digital. 

And immoderate senators blasted the press, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, saying that the "woke media has shown their existent colors this week." 

"For the past 4 years, we had a rootlike President who sat connected his hands portion the Houthis attacked the U.S. Navy much than 170 times portion choking disconnected a large commercialized way with devastating effects connected our economy," Tuberville told Fox News Digital. "But acknowledgment to the enactment of President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and the full nationalist information team, we are protecting our ships and good connected our mode to restoring afloat state of navigation." 

Again, Tuberville said that "rather than celebrating the occurrence of this operation, the aforesaid left-wing media who mostly downplayed the botched Afghanistan withdrawal nether Biden that outgo 13 Americans their lives is moving astir the timepiece to effort to get Secretary Hegseth pushed out." 

"I’ve gotten to cognize Secretary Hegseth good implicit the past fewer months. Not lone is helium a patriot who bravely served 2 tours successful Iraq and Afghanistan, but helium is doing a large occupation arsenic the Secretary of Defense," helium continued. "Under his leadership, the Pentagon is focused erstwhile again connected lethality, not woke politics. Secretary Hegseth has my 100% support, and immoderate proposition that helium should beryllium fired is blistery garbage."

And Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, doubled down, besides saying that Hegseth has proven that "he is precisely the close idiosyncratic to chopped reddish portion astatine the Pentagon, enactment an extremity to everlastingly wars overseas and amended morale among our brave warfighters." 

Moreno told Fox News Digital that helium is "proud to basal with him successful the look of disgusting attacks from Democrats and their allies successful the wide media." 

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Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., besides came to Hegseth’s defense, saying helium is "doing a large job, and is doing precisely what the American radical elected President Trump to do: prioritize America’s halfway nationalist interests successful overseas argumentation decisions, portion woke programs and divisive DEI retired of our military, and enactment to instrumentality our military’s absorption to lethality and preparedness." 

And Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital that the "historic spike successful subject recruitment is nary accident. America is safer. Our adversaries are weaker. And terrorists are dead. With Secretary Hegseth, America is winning."

"I’m assured Secretary Hegseth volition proceed to enactment our warfighters successful the champion presumption and instrumentality the Pentagon’s absorption to our force’s lethality, providing a credible deterrent against our adversaries," Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital. "I stay steadfastly committed to advancing President Trump’s doctrine of bid done strength, which includes ensuring his nationalist information squad has the enactment needed to enact the President’s agenda."

Hegseth has defended himself this week, saying, "Nobody's texting warfare plans." 

"I noticed this greeting retired came thing that doesn't look similar warfare plans. And arsenic a substance of fact, they adjacent changed the rubric to onslaught plans due to the fact that they cognize it's not warfare plans," helium explained Wednesday. 

"There's nary units, nary locations, nary routes, nary formation paths, nary sources, nary methods, no classified information," helium added, saying nary delicate accusation was divulged successful the chat. 

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Hegseth said helium was keeping President Donald Trump's nationalist information squad informed successful existent time.

"My job, arsenic I said, connected apical of that, everybody's seen it now," Hegseth said. The "team update is to supply updates successful existent clip — wide updates successful existent time. Keep everybody informed. That's what I did. That's my job."

The fallout comes arsenic Goldberg said helium received a petition to articulation the radical chat connected the encrypted messaging work Signal connected March 11 from what appeared to be National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. Goldberg released screenshots of immoderate of the connection exchanges helium observed.

He reported that officials had been discussing "war plans" but didn't people immoderate of the highly delicate accusation helium saw, including precise accusation astir weapons packages, targets and timing, owed to imaginable threats to nationalist information and subject operations.

Earlier successful the day, Hegseth scolded Goldberg successful a station connected X, who helium said has ne'er "seen a war plan."

"So, let’s maine get this straight. The Atlantic released the alleged ‘war plans’ and those ‘plans’ include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And nary classified information," helium wrote. "Those are immoderate truly s----- warfare plans."

"This lone proves 1 thing: Jeff Goldberg has ne'er seen a warfare program oregon an "attack plan" (as helium present calls it). Not adjacent close," helium added.

Fox News' Landon Mion, Louis Casiano and Liz Friden contributed to this report.