JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM (TNND) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed a news article claiming that Trump administration officials accidentally texted a journalist before military strikes.

On Monday, news broke that several top national security officials in the Trump administration, including Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Walz and Hegseth, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic.

After landing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii on Monday, Hegseth was asked by a reporter to give details on how the Houthi war plan was shared with The Atlantic and if the information was classified.

Hegseth responded to the question about the alleged leaks of sensitive information while criticizing a journalist. "Uh, so I’m talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again."

He then referenced previous high-profile false claims, including the "Russia, Russia, Russia" narrative, the "fine people on both sides" controversy, and the "suckers and losers" hoax. "This is the guy that pedals in garbage. This is what he does," Hegseth said about Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.

Hegseth emphasized the success and strategic approach of U.S. military efforts in the region. "I would love to comment on the Houthi campaign. Because of the skill and courage of our troops, I've monitored it very closely from the beginning," Hegseth said. "We’ve been managing four years of deferred maintenance under the Trump administration. Our troops, our sailors, were getting shot at as targets. Our ships couldn’t sail through, and when they did shoot back, it was purely defensively or at shacks in Yemen."

The defense secretary defended President Donald Trump's shift in policy, saying that under his leadership, the U.S. reestablished deterrence in the region. "President Trump said no more. We will reestablish deterrence. We will open freedom of navigation, and we will ultimately decimate the Houthis, which is exactly what we're doing as we speak, from the beginning, overwhelmingly," the official stated.

Hegseth denied any wrongdoing when he was pressed further about the specifics of the leaks. "Why were those details shared on Signal and how did you learn that a journalist was privy to the targets, the types of weapons used?" the reporter asked. Hegseth responded, "I’ve heard I was characterized. Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that. Thank you."

On Tuesday morning, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied any wrongdoing. In an X post, she criticized the journalist.

"Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin. Here are the facts about his latest story:

1. No “war plans” were discussed.

2. No classified material was sent to the thread.

3. The White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on a number of different platforms for President Trump’s top officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible.

An investigation is underway by the White House to determine how Goldberg’s number was "inadvertently added to the thread."

Leavitt also took the opportunity to highlight the success of recent military actions under President Trump’s leadership, specifically the Houthi strikes in Yemen. “Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective,” her post read. "Terrorists were killed, and that’s what matters most to President Trump."