Pete Hegseth's Wife's Influence at the Pentagon Raising Questions About His Leadership: Report

Jennifer Hegseth, the third wife of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has emerged as her husband's most influential, unofficial adviser at the Pentagon, raising intense security and leadership concerns among lawmakers and defense officials, according to a New York Times report.

The report said that Pete's wife’s role has sparked internal panic, earning her the nickname "Yoko Ono" from defense staff.

Jennifer — a former executive producer at Fox News — was reportedly the driving force behind the department's efforts to restrict press access and revoke the credentials of Pentagon journalists who wrote negative stories about her husband.

She has taken an active role in personnel decisions, including conducting detailed job interviews for prospective Department of Defense staffers.

Jennifer, 41, sat in on high-level national security meetings, including a February NATO summit in Brussels and a March meeting with British defense officials. A Trump administration official noted that British representatives spoke only in general terms because her presence "made them uneasy.”

She was previously included in a secure Signal group chat where the 46-year-old Defense Secretary outlined sensitive details regarding impending military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Critics have slammed her level of access as unprecedented and a serious breach of protocol. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) sharply criticized the arrangement, stating that a defense secretary cannot simply hand classified information over to a spouse.

Former Pentagon chief spokesman John Ullyot called her involvement "bonkers" and argued that it demonstrates poor judgment.

Pentagon spokespersons have strongly defended her role, calling Jennifer an "accomplished leader" and a "vital asset."

Officials stated that she was not present when classified information was explicitly discussed and noted that the Department actively plans to involve her even more deeply in the future.

This report comes as the defense secretary faces immense political pressure and calls for his resignation, amid a wave of national security leaks, strategic military crises and a sweeping internal purge that leave him deeply embattled.

No official plans have been announced to fire him yet.

Still, sources close to the administration indicate that his job security is in jeopardy due to growing frustration over the slow progress of the Iran war.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other prominent lawmakers have demanded that Pete be fired immediately over the "horrific and unfathomable" conditions facing sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

The crew has faced severe food rationing, supply shortages and extended deployment exhaustion following an Iranian missile strike on the Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

"I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn't tolerate it if I was in charge," said Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who added that Pete is "acting like he's above the law, and that shows an amateur person."