Carbajal Demands Hegseth Resignation Over Signal Leak, Trump Loyalty Questions
Ryder Christ
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a tense House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, accusing the Pentagon chief of jeopardizing national security, politicizing military service, and being “an embarrassment to this country.”
Carbajal’s remarks came amid mounting bipartisan scrutiny of Hegseth following revelations that he shared the launch time of a U.S. airstrike on Houthi militant targets in March via unsecure Signal group chats. One group reportedly included The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, while another included Hegseth’s wife, brother, and personal attorney. Hegseth allegedly accessed the chats through his personal phone rather than a secure government-issued device.
“You broke the law in sharing classified information and in doing so, endangered the lives of our service members that you are responsible for,” Carbajal said. “Your inability to hold yourself accountable makes you incapable to lead. This alone makes you unfit to be the Secretary of Defense.”
Hegseth has maintained that no classified information was shared.
“Nobody’s texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” he said earlier this week. “There’s no units, no locations, no routes, no flight paths, no sources, no methods, no classified information.”
The Pentagon’s Inspector General has since launched a formal investigation into whether national security protocols were violated and whether any messages were deleted to evade federal record-keeping laws.
The controversy has triggered internal fallout within the Pentagon, including reports of low morale, senior staff resignations, and growing concerns over Hegseth’s leadership. Carbajal also cited Hegseth’s deployment of Marines to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests and his handling of the war in Ukraine as part of what he called a broader pattern of misconduct.
During the hearing, Carbajal pressed Hegseth on whether loyalty to former President Donald Trump had become a prerequisite for military or civilian service in the Department of Defense.
“Do you think political allegiance to Trump is a requirement for serving our nation, either in uniform or a civilian in the department?” Carbajal asked.
“I’m incredibly proud as there are millions of Americans—” Hegseth began.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” Carbajal interrupted. “Not today, Hegseth. Yes or no.”
“Congressman, you know what a silly question that is,” Hegseth replied.
“But silly enough to warrant a very straightforward answer. Yes or no?” Carbajal pressed.
“We all support and defend the Constitution of the United States—” Hegseth began again.
“You know what? I’m not going to waste my time anymore,” Carbajal said. “You’re not worthy of my attention or my questions. You’re an embarrassment to this country. You’re unfit to lead. And there’s been bipartisan members of Congress that have called for your resignation. You should just get the hell out and let somebody competently lead this department.”
The exchange prompted someone off camera to say, “Mr. Chairman, do we not have any decorum in here?”
Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) quickly called for order, saying, “Let’s maintain decorum in this hearing, please.”
Shortly after the hearing, Carbajal posted video of the exchange on social media, adding a punching fist emoji, an American flag emoji, and a fire emoji.
Backlash against Hegseth has intensified in recent days. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern over his handling of sensitive information and perceptions of political favoritism within the military. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta are among those calling for accountability, with Panetta calling the Signal incident “one of the most serious breaches of trust I’ve seen in the modern Pentagon.”
During the hearing, Hegseth also confirmed that the Pentagon maintains contingency plans for potential military operations in regions such as Greenland and Panama—a revelation that drew additional skepticism from Democratic lawmakers.
Local conservative and former Santa Barbara City Councilman Dale Francisco criticized what he described as a double standard, noting that Carbajal was more forgiving of Democratic-appointed military leaders after the deaths of 13 U.S. service members during the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport killed 13 American service members during the final stages of the U.S. evacuation.
At the time, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin—appointed by President Biden—led the Pentagon. Carbajal condemned the attack in a public statement but did not call for Austin’s resignation.
“As a veteran, I know how families feel when their loved ones are called to duty,” Carbajal said in 2021. “My thoughts remain with the service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice, the injured, and their families. I thank all those in the military, diplomatic, humanitarian, and intelligence communities for their patriotism.”
As investigations continue, Carbajal’s remarks have emerged as one of the most forceful congressional condemnations of Hegseth’s tenure to date.
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