Hegseth brought his wife to closed-door meetings on Ukraine's war - WSJ

Hegseth, who is currently under investigation for revealing details of military strikes, brought his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, to two meetings with foreign military representatives.

Jennifer Hegseth, a former Fox News producer, was present at these meetings, where confidential information was reportedly discussed, according to several people who were either present or aware of the meetings.

One of these meetings took place on March 6 at the Pentagon. It was a high-level discussion between Hegseth and UK Defense Minister John Healey. The conversation occurred during a critical and tense moment for the transatlantic alliance, specifically the day after the US announced it would cease sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

Admiral Tony Radakin, the UK's Chief of the Defense Staff, was also present at the Pentagon meeting. They discussed the reasons behind the US decision to stop sharing intelligence, as well as future military cooperation between the two allies.

Formally, the Secretary of Defense may invite anyone he deems necessary to meetings with foreign colleagues. However, the participant lists for such talks are usually tightly controlled and limited to those who must be present. All participants are expected to have the appropriate clearance for classified information, as discussions often involve sensitive data.

Security is typically present at the meeting venues to ensure no unauthorized individuals enter the premises.

Anonymous officials confirmed that Jennifer Hegseth does not work at the Department of Defense. While some spouses of high-ranking officials may have certain levels of access to official information, a Pentagon spokesperson declined to clarify whether Jennifer Hegseth had the necessary security clearance.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had shared classified information about US strikes in Yemen in a Signal chat. He accidentally added a journalist from The Atlantic.

A scandal erupted in the US after The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, wrote that US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz had mistakenly added him to a chat with senior officials.

In the chat, officials allegedly discussed plans for the US to attack the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

It was later revealed that Hegseth shared details in the chat just half an hour before the operation began. The information included the departure times for US fighter jets and drones, as well as the launch times for US missiles.

For more details on the scandal with top US officials, read RBC-Ukraine's report.