The White House has begun the process of finding a new defense minister, according to an anonymous source for the American public service company NPR.
The recent turmoil surrounding Defense Minister Pete Hegseth concerns the discussion of attack plans against Yemen in chat groups on the messaging service Signal. In the latest revelation in The New York Times, sources claim that Hegseth shared sensitive information in a chat group where, among others, his wife and brother participated.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, calls the reports that President Donald Trump would want to replace Hegseth "fake news" based on "an anonymous source who has no idea".
"As the president said this morning, he stands firmly behind the defense minister", she writes on X.
Over the past few weeks, four high-ranking employees of Hegseth have left their jobs, some accused of leaking information. The individuals have in various statements testified to internal conflicts and chaos at the defense department, writes NPR.
