Republican senators are standing behind Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth amid calls for his resignation over the Signal chat leak, telling Fox News Digital that calls for him to be fired are ‘hot garbage.’ 

Trump administration national security officials are facing a barrage of negative media coverage this week after Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was included in a group chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, about a strike against the Houthis in Yemen. Goldberg later went on to publish the messages on Wednesday.

Hegseth has doubled down that no war plans or classified information were shared during the Signal group chat of Trump administration officials about possible strikes on Houthi targets, which was mistakenly shared with a journalist.

Amid Goldberg’s publication of the messages, Democrats have been calling for Hegseth and other officials to resign. 

But GOP senators are defending Hegseth. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital, ‘Defense Secretary Hegseth helped spearhead the successful strikes we saw against the Houthis to protect shipping lanes and keep Americans safe.’ 

‘That’s good policy — and a win for the Trump administration,’ Hawley said. ‘The Democrats are just trying to change the subject and trash Hegseth because Trump is on a roll.’ 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., also defended Hegseth, telling Fox News Digital that he is ‘a decorated war hero who understands the needs of the warfighter.’ 

‘In a matter of weeks, he’s taken bold action alongside President Trump to restore lethality, merit and peace through strength. Recruitment numbers show this administration is inspiring young Americans to serve their country in uniform,’ Mullin said. ‘The Defense Department has achieved great success under Pete’s leadership, and anyone saying otherwise isn’t paying attention.’

And Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said that the calls for his resignation — especially after the successful strikes — are ‘amusing.’ 

‘In the wake of successful strikes against Houthi terrorists, it’s amusing to see two political camps attack the Secretary of Defense: radical progressives who are angry that he’s getting rid of woke DEI ideology and focusing on lethality, and armchair generals who are mad that he wants to keep America out of unnecessary foreign wars,’ Lee told Fox News Digital. 

And some senators blasted the press, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, saying that the ‘woke media has shown their true colors this week.’ 

‘For the past four years, we had a vegetable President who sat on his hands while the Houthis attacked the U.S. Navy more than 170 times while choking off a major trade route with devastating effects on our economy,’ Tuberville told Fox News Digital. ‘But thanks to the leadership of President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and the entire national security team, we are protecting our ships and well on our way to restoring full freedom of navigation.’ 

Again, Tuberville said that ‘rather than celebrating the success of this operation, the same left-wing media who largely downplayed the botched Afghanistan withdrawal under Biden that cost 13 Americans their lives is working around the clock to try to get Secretary Hegseth pushed out.’ 

‘I’ve gotten to know Secretary Hegseth well over the past few months. Not only is he a patriot who bravely served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he is doing a great job as the Secretary of Defense,’ he continued. ‘Under his leadership, the Pentagon is focused once again on lethality, not woke politics. Secretary Hegseth has my 100% support, and any suggestion that he should be fired is hot garbage.’

And Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, doubled down, also saying that Hegseth has proven that ‘he is exactly the right person to cut red tape at the Pentagon, put an end to forever wars abroad and improve morale among our brave warfighters.’ 

Moreno told Fox News Digital that he is ‘proud to stand with him in the face of disgusting attacks from Democrats and their allies in the liberal media.’ 

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., also came to Hegseth’s defense, saying he is ‘doing a great job, and is doing exactly what the American people elected President Trump to do: prioritize America’s core national interests in foreign policy decisions, strip woke programs and divisive DEI out of our military, and work to return our military’s focus to lethality and preparedness.’ 

And Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital that the ‘historic spike in military recruitment is no accident. America is safer. Our adversaries are weaker. And terrorists are dead. With Secretary Hegseth, America is winning.’

‘I’m confident Secretary Hegseth will continue to put our warfighters in the best position and return the Pentagon’s focus to our force’s lethality, providing a credible deterrent against our adversaries,’ Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital. ‘I remain steadfastly committed to advancing President Trump’s doctrine of peace through strength, which includes ensuring his national security team has the support needed to enact the President’s agenda.’

Hegseth has defended himself this week, saying, ‘Nobody’s texting war plans.’ 

‘I noticed this morning out came something that doesn’t look like war plans. And as a matter of fact, they even changed the title to attack plans because they know it’s not war plans,’ he explained Wednesday. 

‘There’s no units, no locations, no routes, no flight paths, no sources, no methods, no classified information,’ he added, saying no sensitive information was divulged in the chat. 

Hegseth said he was keeping President Donald Trump’s national security team informed in real time.

‘My job, as I said, on top of that, everybody’s seen it now,’ Hegseth said. The ‘team update is to provide updates in real time — general updates in real time. Keep everybody informed. That’s what I did. That’s my job.’

The fallout comes as Goldberg said he received a request to join the group chat on the encrypted messaging service Signal on March 11 from what appeared to be National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. Goldberg released screenshots of some of the message exchanges he observed.

He reported that officials had been discussing ‘war plans’ but didn’t publish some of the highly sensitive information he saw, including precise information about weapons packages, targets and timing, due to potential threats to national security and military operations.

Earlier in the day, Hegseth scolded Goldberg in a post on X, who he said has never ‘seen a war plan.’

‘So, let’s me get this straight. The Atlantic released the so-called ‘war plans’ and those ‘plans’ include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information,’ he wrote. ‘Those are some really s—– war plans.’

‘This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an ‘attack plan’ (as he now calls it). Not even close,’ he added.

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

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee requested the Pentagon’s inspector general probe whether classified defense information was shared on Signal, an encrypted messaging platform. 

‘This chat was alleged to have included classified information pertaining to sensitive military discussions in Yemen,’ Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., wrote in a letter to acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins. ‘If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss classified and sensitive information.’

The letter was sent Wednesday evening, a committee spokesperson said, after The Atlantic published messages in full that included details about a planned strike on the Houthis in Yemen and revealed a target had been successfully killed when a building he was in collapsed. 

White House officials have insisted the information Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security advisor Mike Waltz shared in the chat was not classified. 

Stebbins is the acting Pentagon watchdog after President Donald Trump fired 17 inspectors general, including the Defense Department’s IG, shortly after taking office. 

Wicker told reporters Wednesday he would seek an ‘expedited’ investigation. 

Hegseth’s Signal messages revealed F-18, Navy fighter aircraft, MQ-9s, drones and Tomahawks cruise missiles would be used in the strike on the Houthis.

‘1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package),’ Hegseth said in one message notifying the chat of high-level administration officials that the attack was about to kick off.

‘1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)’ he added, according to the report. 

‘1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)’

‘1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)’

‘1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.’

‘MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)’

‘We are currently clean on OPSEC’ – that is, operational security.

Later, Waltz wrote that the mission had been successful. ‘The first target—their top missile guy—was positively ID’d walking into his girlfriend’s building. It’s now collapsed.’

The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, who was unintentionally added to the chat, published an initial story that did not include specifics about the strike he believed to be sensitive. After the White House insisted the information was not classified, he asked them if they would object to him publishing its contents. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded that they would object. 

‘No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS,’ Waltz wrote on X on Wednesday.

Government officials frequently use Signal to communicate, even for sensitive information, given that they don’t always have quick access to a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF). 

‘This is an approved app. It’s an encrypted app,’ Leavitt insisted to reporters Wednesday.

Still, even some Republicans have grumbled about how the situation has been handled. 

Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., a Navy veteran with a top secret clearance, said adding Goldberg to the chat was ‘totally sloppy,’ and the information shared was either classified ‘or at the very least highly sensitive.’ 

‘In the wrong hands, like the Houthis or any of America’s adversaries, this kind of Intel could have jeopardized the mission and put our troops at greater risk,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘It was wrong when Hillary put all that classified information on an unclassified server. It was wrong when Biden had the sensitive files in his garage. And it’s wrong now.’ 

The Senate letter asked for ‘what was communicated and any remedial actions taken as a result’ and an assessment of whether proper policies had been followed related to government officers ‘sharing sensitive and classified information on non-government networks and electronic applications.’ 

It also asked for the IG to probe how the policies of DOD, the intelligence community, the National Security Council and the White House differ on the matter. 

The DOD IG’s office confirmed receiving the letter yesterday to Fox News Digital and said it was in the process of reviewing it. 

Earlier this week, Wicker and Reed said they would ‘likely’ hold a bipartisan hearing on the Signal chat. But given the political nature of the storyline, it may be easier to allow an independent watchdog to conduct a fact-finding mission. 

‘This is precisely why independent offices of inspectors general are so valuable. When a situation becomes a hot-button political issue, it’s incredibly helpful to have an objective, nonpartisan group of trained professionals to do the fact-finding and answer the hard questions,’ former State Department inspector general Diana Shaw told Fox News Digital. 

She warned not to expect the IG to give any answers on whether criminal conduct had taken place, and not to expect a quick probe given the crossover of agencies implicated in the chat. 

‘It’s very difficult to do anything quickly when it involves the Interagency – an interagency review requires navigation through a complex maze of jurisdictional boundaries. The committee may get some of its questions answered quickly, but it will likely have to wait some time for answers to the more central questions it’s posed.’

Eight inspectors general abruptly fired by President Donald Trump at the start of his second term appeared in federal court Thursday to challenge their dismissals — a long-shot case that nonetheless sparked fireworks during oral arguments.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes acknowledged on Thursday that it would be difficult for the court to reinstate the eight ousted inspectors generals, who were part of a broader group of 17 government watchdogs abruptly terminated by Trump in January, just four days into his second White House term. 

In a lawsuit last month, the eight inspectors general challenged their firings as both ‘unlawful and unjustified’ and asked to be reinstated — a remedy that Reyes acknowledged Thursday would be exceedingly difficult, even if she were to find that their firings were unconstitutional.

 ‘Unless you convince me otherwise,’ she told the plaintiffs, ‘I don’t see how I could reinstate the inspectors general’ to their roles.

Reyes suggested that the best the court could do would be to order back pay, even as she told both parties, ‘I don’t think anyone can contest that the removal of these people — the way that they were fired — was a violation of the law.’

The preliminary injunction hearing comes more than a month after the eight fired inspectors general filed a lawsuit challenging their termination as unconstitutional. Plaintiffs asked the judge to restore them to their positions, noting in the filing, ‘President Trump’s attempt to eliminate a crucial and longstanding source of impartial, non-partisan oversight of his administration is contrary to the rule of law.’  

Still, the remedies are considered a long shot — and Trump supporters have argued that the president was well within his executive branch powers to make such personnel decisions under Article II of the Constitution, Supreme Court precedent and updates to federal policy.

In 2022, Congress updated its Inspector General Act of 1978, which formerly required a president to communicate to Congress any ‘reasons’ for terminations 30 days before any decision was made. That notice provision was amended in 2022 to require only a ‘substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons’ for terminations.

The 30-day period was a major focus of Thursday’s hearing, as the court weighed whether inspectors general can be considered ‘principal’ or inferior officers. 

The White House Director of Presidential Personnel has claimed that the firings are in line with that requirement, which were a reflection of ‘changing priorities’ from within the administration. 

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, suggested earlier this year that Congress should be given more information as to the reasons for the firings, though more recently he has declined to elaborate on the matter.

Reyes, for her part, previously did not appear to be moved by the plaintiffs’ bid for emergency relief.

She declined to grant their earlier request for a temporary restraining order — a tough legal test that requires plaintiffs to prove ‘irreparable’ and immediate harm as a result of the actions — and told both parties during the hearing that, barring new or revelatory information, she is not inclined to rule in favor of plaintiffs at the larger preliminary injunction hearing.

Despite being an ocean away, Rosie O’Donnell can’t seem to keep her mind off President Trump. 

The two have an ongoing feud that goes back decades, and after Trump was elected a second time, the comedian moved her family to Ireland.

But she still posts anti-Trump content on her social media accounts every few days. 

On Thursday, the 63-year-old posted a video on her Substack channel saying she forgives MAGA supporters.

‘I forgive them, and I know they didn’t ask for my forgiveness. And I hope that doesn’t sound condescending, but I forgive them for making the mistake of believing the Americanized propaganda where we sold a conman as a businessman,’ she said.

The White House told Fox News Digital ‘Good riddance!’ when asked for comment. 

The former co-host of ‘The View’ added that she blames Mark Burnett, who created and produced Trump’s former reality series, ‘The Apprentice.’ 

She said she had met Burnett, and he was a ‘nice guy, and I’d love to know what happened to him. Was it pure greed? Cause everybody in the world knew just how bad he is, but Mark Burnett put a shine on the s—, and everybody thinks it’s gold, and it really is not.’ 

She also brought up Trump and Burnett earlier this week in a TikTok video. 

‘We’ve been lied to by the media that is corporately owned for a very long time, and one of the biggest offenders was the show ‘The Apprentice,’ produced by Mark Burnett,’ she said Monday. ‘He taught Donald Trump how to lie into a character and sell it with rudeness, and that’s all that Donald Trump is.’

The ‘League of Their Own’ actress has even been writing anti-Trump poetry, which she describes as ‘simplistic lyrics to a song to convey a feeling or a mood.’ 

‘once a misogynist…always a creep/ he went after me for years and hasn’t stopped yet/ those who love him/ think I’m the anti christ/ those who hate him/ are my people,’ she wrote in part in one such effort on Substack earlier this month. 

Last week, she also appeared on Ireland’s ‘Late Late Show,’ where she discussed her recent decision to move out of the U.S., her longstanding feud with Trump and more.

In the interview, O’Donnell said she never imagined she’d leave the country and that it’s ‘overwhelmingly sad to me personally and way too much for me to take as well emotionally’ that he won the presidential election in 2024.

When asked about her decision to move to Ireland, she also said, ‘The President of the United States has it out for me and has for 20 years,’ later adding that ‘he sort of uses me as a punchline whenever he feels the need.’

She also suggested on the show that Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk’s involvement in Trump’s win should be investigated. 

‘I question why the first time in American history a president has won every swing state and is also best friends and his largest donor was a man who owns and runs the internet,’ O’Donnell said Friday on Ireland’s ‘The Late Late Show.’

O’Donnell confirmed her move to Ireland earlier this month, saying she left the U.S. days before Trump’s inauguration, explaining on TikTok that she thought it ‘would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child.’

O’Donnell and Trump have been involved in a feud since 2006, after she criticized him on ‘The View’ about his leniency toward a Miss USA winner who had been accused of drug use and other bad behavior.

At the time, in reference to Miss USA Tara Conner, Trump said he was a ‘believer in second chances. Tara is a good person. Tara has tried hard. Tara is going to be given a second chance.’

Their feud has continued over the years, with O’Donnell telling Seth Meyers after Trump’s first win that she spends ‘about 90% of my working hours tweeting hatred toward this administration.’

Trump also brought her up in a 2015 Republican primary debate, joking ‘only Rosie O’Donnell’ when he was asked about having called women disparaging names like ‘fat pigs’ and ‘slobs.’ 

During last year’s election, Trump brought up O’Donnell’s name again when he told a crowd at the October Al Smith dinner that ‘The View’ had gotten ‘so bad’ that showrunners ‘really need to bring Rosie O’Donnell back.’

Her name also came up last week when a reporter asked Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, ‘Why in the world would you let Rosie O’Donnell move to Ireland? I think she is going to lower your happiness.’

Before Martin could answer, Trump chimed in and replied, ‘That’s true. I like that question. Do you know you have Rosie O’Donnell? Do you know who she is? You’re better off not knowing.’

O’Donnell later said on the ‘Late, Late Show’ that she sent the prime minister an apology note over the Oval Office episode. 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at restoring what he calls ‘truth and sanity’ in American history by reforming the Smithsonian Institution, protecting national monuments, and countering divisive ideology in public institutions.

Trump’s order directs Vice President Vance to work on eliminating ‘improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology’ from Smithsonian museums, research centers, as well as the National Zoo. 

It also pushes Congress to ensure taxpayer dollars do not fund exhibits or programs that ‘degrade shared American values’ or promote ideologies which divide Americans by race.

‘Americans have witnessed a concerted effort to rewrite history and force our nation to adopt a factually baseless ideology aimed at diminishing American achievement,’ the order states. 

The Smithsonian is criticized in the EO for promoting narratives that claim American and Western values are harmful. Trump specifically calls out exhibits that suggest sculpture has been used to ‘promote scientific racism’ and that the United States has maintained power through racial systems.

The order also takes issue with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which previously suggested that ‘hard work,’ ‘individualism,’ and ‘the nuclear family’ are aspects of ‘White culture.’

Additionally, the EO declares that the Smithsonian ‘celebrate women’s achievements in the American Women’s History Museum and do not recognize men as women.’

The Executive Order also directs the Secretary of the Interior to restore national parks, monuments, and statues that have been ‘improperly removed or changed’ in recent years to fit what it calls a false revision of history. 

Under the Executive Order, agencies must complete restorations and improvements to Independence Hall before our nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

President Donald Trump late Thursday signed an executive order to end collective bargaining with federal labor unions in agencies with national security missions.

The order cites his authority granted under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and will affect most of the federal government. 

Agencies such as the Departments of State, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Justice and Commerce and the part of Homeland Security responsible for border security are just a few listed in the executive order.

The need to end collective bargaining with federal unions in these agencies is because of their role in safeguarding national security, according to the order. 

‘President Trump is taking action to ensure that agencies vital to national security can execute their missions without delay and protect the American people. The President needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security,’ according to a White House fact sheet regarding the order.

It also claims that ‘Certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump’s agenda,’ and that the ‘largest Federal union describes itself as ‘fighting back’ against Trump. It is widely filing grievances to block Trump policies.’

According to the administration, VA’s unions have filed 70 national and local grievances over President Trump’s policies, averaging over one a day since the inauguration.

‘President Trump supports constructive partnerships with unions who work with him; he will not tolerate mass obstruction that jeopardizes his ability to manage agencies with vital national security missions,’ the White House said.

Police and firefighters will continue to collectively bargain.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., fired back after Elon Musk unflinchingly stood behind the decision to label the lawmaker a ‘traitor.’ 

Musk made the accusation earlier this month when replying to a post in which the senator, who is also a Navy veteran and retired astronaut, argued that it is important for the U.S. to ‘stand with Ukraine.’

When Fox News’ Bret Baier asked Musk why he leveled the accusation, Musk indicated that Americans should care about U.S. interests over those of another nation, adding, ‘if they don’t, they’re a traitor.’

‘But he’s a decorated veteran, a former astronaut, a sitting U.S. senator,’ Baier pressed.

Musk said that does not mean it is ‘OK’ for Kelly to place the interests of another nation over the U.S.

Kelly fired back during an appearance on CNN. 

‘My entire life has been about serving this country,’ he declared, asserting that he always supports America’s best interests and ‘standing with our allies and standing up for democracy is in the best interests of the United States.’

Kelly added that he would categorize Musk as being ‘much closer to Russia.’

Earlier this month, after Musk called him a ‘traitor,’ the senator announced that he would get rid of his Tesla electric vehicle, saying he did not want to drive a ‘car built and designed by an a–hole.’ 

‘I bought a Tesla because it was fast like a rocket ship. But now every time I drive it, I feel like a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people. So Tesla, you’re fired! New ride coming soon,’ he tweeted.

He later announced that his ‘new ride’ is a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV.