Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s wife tried to obtain security clearance, according to a report.
Jennifer Rauchet, who was involved in her husband’s latest Signal leak scandal, submitted paperwork for a security clearance, but it was unclear if it was granted, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
The revelation comes days after The New York Times reported that Hegseth had discussed sensitive military attack plans in a group chat that included his wife—a former Fox News producer—his brother, and even his personal lawyer. They have official positions in the Pentagon, unlike Rauchet.
That chat was separate from the group that Hegseth used to discuss military plans with other Cabinet officials—which accidentally included Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg.
Rauchet and her unofficial role within the Pentagon have come under scrutiny amid reports that she has also been attending high-level intelligence meetings.
The Daily Beast contacted the Pentagon for comment.
A Pentagon spokesperson told CNN that the Pentagon does not comment on security clearances for any individual, declining to confirm or deny whether Rauchet has been granted one.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson also told the network the defense secretary’s wife has “never attended a meeting where sensitive information or classified information was discussed.”
Hegseth has become increasingly paranoid about potential leaks from inside the Pentagon to the media and relies on the counsel of a select group of allies, which includes his wife, multiple sources told CNN.
A Senate aide also told the network that Rauchet’s frequent presence by Hegseth’s side during his confirmation hearing earlier this year had been noticed by lawmakers and staffers on Capitol Hill.
The aide claimed Rauchet “attended every single one of his meetings with Republican senators,” a feat the aide claimed had no known precedent among Cabinet nominees. They also claimed female senators had been particularly frustrated when they held meetings with him and wanted to ask about the sexual assault allegations that overshadowed his nomination, with the aide saying that Rauchet’s presence “totally changed the dynamic” of those conversations.
Hegseth has denied the assault allegation and was never charged with a crime.
A former senior Pentagon official who served under a Republican administration similarly told CNN they too hadn’t heard of “anyone” taking their spouse to such meetings and that Rauchet’s attendance “bothered a lot of senators.”
The Trump administration is still scrambling to contain fallout from the latest messaging scandal, and Hegseth has gone into full-blown damage control.
On Tuesday, Hegseth went on Fox News—the network where he once co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend—and insisted that any information shared in his group chats was “unclassified.”
It’s also at Fox News that he met Rauchet. At the time, Hegseth was still married to his second wife, Samantha Deering. Their extramarital affair reportedly led to Rauchet being reassigned to another pro-Trump show, Watters’ World.
The group chat leaks are just part of a growing crisis engulfing the Pentagon under Hegseth’s leadership.
His former press secretary John Ullyot—who resigned this month—revealed in a piece for Politico that the department is now in “total chaos.”
“From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president—who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot wrote. “Even strong backers of the secretary like me must admit: The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon—and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration.”
In a statement to the Daily Beast this week about the latest Signal leak, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said: “Another day, another old story—back from the dead.“
“The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda,” Parnell said. “This time, the New York Times—and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage—are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article.”
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