Hegseth lashed out at the media and what he claimed were "disgruntled former employees" Monday for the chorus of criticism for his handling of battle plans on a Signal group chat.
The Department of Defense also saw a series of high-profile suspensions in recent days over an internal investigation into leaks, and a former top spokesperson penned an op-ed Sunday saying chaos reigns at the Pentagon under Hegseth.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, on Monday became the first Republican to suggest Hegseth is not fit to lead the Pentagon.
"If it's true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it's totally unacceptable," Bacon said.
"I'm not in the White House, and I'm not going to tell the White House how to manage this … but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn't tolerate it if I was in charge," he added.
But even with the surge of damning headlines, President Trump on Monday publicly backed Hegseth, who he claimed is "doing a great job."
"There's no dysfunction at all," Trump told reporters at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied a report from NPR that the administration had started the process of searching for a new Defense secretary.
Hegseth also appeared defiant, telling reporters that he and Trump spoke and are "on the same page all the way."
The Trump administration's combat mode over Hegseth mirrors the stance it took last month after the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic revealed he had been included in a Signal group chat with more than a dozen top Trump administration officials.
Since then, White House officials have remained adamant about sticking by Hegseth, even as criticism has mounted in recent weeks and questions about his judgment have resurfaced.
The wider concerns were amplified in an op-ed penned by former top Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, p-blished in Politico Magazine on Sunday, in which he warned of "total chaos" in the building over the past month.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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