Donald Trump's defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, is again in hot water after the reports that he shared key military information with his wife and other family members. This is the second Signal chat group apart from the previous one, which was created by Mile Waltz, but Hegseth was part of it.

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A former Pentagon spokesperson has hinted that Hegseth might face the crackdown for the chat leak by the US president. In an opinion piece featured in Politico, John Ullyot said that Hegseth can be replaced any time soon by Trump. He said that the latest incident in the series of Signal chat leak saga may prompt Trump to fire his defence secretary due to the public crisis that began due to the chat leak and its aftermath.

Also read: Leak, deny, repeat? Pete Hegseth accused of sharing military secrets with wife; dismisses reports

“Donald Trump is known for demanding accountability from his top officials. Considering the light of recent events surrounding Pete Hegseth, it is difficult to imagine him staying in the position for very long," Ullyot wrote. 

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Ullyot is the same person who once praised Hegseth for being "well qualified" for the role of Trump's defence secretary in December. 

He further added in the opinion piece that there has been a “full-blown meltdown at the White House thanks to the Signal chat leak fiasco". 

In a chilling warning, Ullyot added,  "There are very likely more shoes to drop in short order, with even bigger bombshell stories coming this week."

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Also read: Signal group chat leak: Trump's defence secretary Hegseth 'shared' details of Yemen attack with his wife and family

'Ruining my reputation' 

Also read: Pentagon students sue Pete Hegseth for banning THESE books

Just after the reports of a second chat group by him, Hegseth denies the claim, saying that the media is trying to "ruin" his "reputation". 

The US defence secretary, who was accused of sexual assaults just after the November elections, said, "This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations."  

Also read: US ‘will not allow’ Chinese influence over Panama Canal: Defense Secretary Hegseth