Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has involved his wife, Jennifer, in the running of the Pentagon on numerous occasions, The New York Times reports, and has even placed her into sensitive, highly classified roles that could potentially cause a national security crisis.
Some Pentagon insiders say that Hegseth’s judgment has been clouded by his wife’s advice and raised questions about the defense secretary’s leadership, especially as it relates to the ongoing military conflict with Iran.
20 current and former administration officials told the Times that Jennifer Hegesth has been serving as the defense secretary’s most influential adviser, preparing him for on-air appearances, sitting in on his meetings with journalists, and even interviewing potential staff members. She has also had input on videos released by the Defense Department.
Former Pentagon chief spokesperson John Ullyot, said that Jennifer once called him in and fired off a series of “detailed and hard-edged questions” for about 40 minutes.
“It’s bonkers that a defense secretary would involve his wife in his sensitive official duties, including sharing details of an impending military operation, and face zero consequences,” Ullyot said. “Any president deserves better judgment from his national security leaders.”
What qualifications does Jennifer Hegseth have in defense and national security? None. She has a degree in journalism and worked 18 years as an executive producer at Fox News, where she and Pete met and began an affair while they were both married to other people.
The defense secretary has spoken lovingly about his current wife, claiming that she is part of the “two Js” that saved his life.
“My Jenny, my wife, Jennifer, changed my life, saved me, there’s just no doubt about it,” he told right-wing commentator Megyn Kelly in December 2024. “And without those two Js, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
While that’s certainly sweet, it doesn’t address the larger issue of why someone with no security clearance is being allowed to help make decisions at one of the most important agencies in the federal government.
“This is not normal,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned in an interview with MSNBC last year. “Secretary Hegseth has one of the highest levels of classification access. He can’t just hand that to his wife and say, ‘Here, honey, hold my beer, and hold my classified information.'”
The very fact that Hegseth has discussed such matters with a person who has not been vetted to view classified information is grounds for his immediate termination and prosecution on federal crimes. But we won’t wait for that to happen in the most lawless administration ever to hold office.
Hegseth is a national security threat. And so is the demented head of state who appointed him to his post.
