Political Washington has been transfixed for the last week over a story by The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg that focused on a singular incident in which Goldberg was invited into a chat on the Signal communications app about an imminent airstrike on the Houthis in Yemen. The participants were Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, and seven staff representatives from Department of the Treasury, National Security Council, National Counterterrorism Center, and the White House.
This event has been covered extensively in the media and here on RedState:
BACKGROUND:
BREAKING: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Addresses Atlantic Story – RedState
We Need to Talk About Jeffrey Goldberg Accidently Being Added to a National Security Chat – RedState
CIA Director John Ratcliffe Swats Down Signal Story in Senate Intel Hearing – RedState
The Atlantic Releases Full Signal Message Chain, and It's Underwhelming – RedState
Hegseth Fires Back After Atlantic Releases Full Signal Chat – RedState
Any sane person knew the Democrats would try to blend this into the narrative that they are attempting to create that says the Trump administration is incompetent. Since the whole chat group can't be smeared, it was inevitable that one person in the chat would be targeted for character assassination as the symbol of the event (Alinsky's Rule 12: "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.") The odds on favorite was National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Waltz organized the chat, and it was Waltz, or, more likely, an aide using his phone, who invited the participants, including Goldberg.
Then, something amazing happened. The day after the event, Hakeem Jeffries wrote a letter to President Trump demanding the firing of Pete Hegseth.
NEW: Jeffries, in a letter to Trump, calls for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be "fired immediately" for the Atlantic Signal chat incident. pic.twitter.com/TEBqAIlC3h
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) March 25, 2025
During the Wednesday hearing of the House Intelligence Committee, California Democrat Jimmy Gomez floated the story that Hegseth had been drinking during the chat: House Hearing Explodes As Dem Pushes Hegseth Hoax, CIA Director John Ratcliffe Refuses to Let It Slide – RedState. This is a favorite of the left to attack Hegesth. Several journalists halfway accused Hegseth of drinking while giving a press conference ('Journalists' Run With a Ridiculous New Pete Hegseth Hoax, Get Immediately Dunked On – RedState), and Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono accused him of being drunk at work during his confirmation hearing: 'Unbecoming': Mazie Hirono Turns Hegseth Defense Secretary Hearings Into a 'Clown Show' – RedState,
By Thursday, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth was demanding that he "resign in disgrace."
Pete Hegseth is a f*cking liar. This is so clearly classified info he recklessly leaked that could’ve gotten our pilots killed.
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) March 26, 2025
He needs to resign in disgrace immediately. https://t.co/qX6tg5NxlD
And the media was running anonymous stories claiming that Hegseth's colleagues thought he should resign; for instance, Trump allies are starting to notice Hegseth's growing pile of mistakes - POLITICO and Concerns about Hegseth’s judgment come roaring back after group chat scandal | CNN Politics.
Pete Hegseth has been targeted for destruction, but he was merely a participant in the chat group. This isn't new. It comes after another failed attempt to claim that Hegseth had briefed Elon Musk on top-secret war plans targeting China; see White House Pushback on a Fake News Story About Musk Results in a Deluge of Stealth Edited Headlines – RedState. The question is: Why?
The answer to that, I think, lies in what Hegseth has done since taking the reins at the Pentagon. He has swiftly removed the most problematic military leaders and replaced them with people who support his agenda. He has largely uprooted the massive DEI infrastructure transplanted into the Pentagon during the Obama years and nurtured to maturity under Biden. He has made great strides in focusing the Pentagon on fighting and winning wars. I think the team he is building will begin to repair much of the damage done to the services, particularly the Navy. His willingness to work with DOGE ensures he is making enemies in the right places. As we've noted before, Hegseth is facing a lot of pushback from the status quo in the Department of Defense, and he's not backing down.
BACKGROUND:
Pete Hegseth Stamps Out One USAF DEI Mutiny but Others Await – RedState
Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell Lays Out the Facts on DoD DEI Removal – RedState
There is no logical reason why Pete Hegseth should resign or be fired over the Signal fiasco, but there is a very logical reason why that blunder is being used to discredit him and try to have him removed. Hegseth is an existential challenge to the left's "long march" through the military. He's taking back ground the left fought hard to gain in turning the military into a giant petrie dish for social experimentation. The team he is putting together holds the promise of being transformative. That is why Pete Hegseth has become the target.
Antonio Gramsci’s “long march through the institutions” is everywhere we look, and the politicization of our Intelligence Community presents an existential danger to the United States. The Trump administration is attempting to change the IC's focus from playing politics to producing timely and actionable intelligence for the national leadership. Join RedState VIP and help continue our coverage to keep you abreast of this critical struggle. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
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