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Pentagon’s Former Chief Spokesman Slams Hegseth’s ‘Month from Hell’ in New Op-Ed

The Pentagon’s former chief spokesman has warned of more “bombshell stories” about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that are set to leak over the next few weeks.

In a lengthy op-ed for Politico on Sunday, John Ullyot, who has served in several communications roles across President Donald Trump’s two terms and resigned from the Pentagon last week, ripped into Hegseth’s embarrassing blunders and claimed many in his “own inner circle” would “applaud quietly” should Trump oust him from his post.

“It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot wrote. “President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account. Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.
“It’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer,” the Pentagon’s former chief spokesman John Ullyot wrote. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Within weeks of Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary, he was placed under an intense microscope following a string of unflattering reports.

In March, Hegseth was caught disclosing sensitive planning details for a series of airstrikes on Houthi militants in Yemen to a large group chat on the encrypted app Signal. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally invited The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who sat idly by and later reported the chat’s contents.

That same month, Elon Musk was also invited to a “top-secret briefing” on China—which the White House later canceled. As Trump reportedly put it: “What the f— is Elon doing there?”

It was also revealed that Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, was invited to attend sensitive meetings with foreign officials despite not being an employee at the Department of Defense.

The steady drip of negative headlines has culminated in what Ullyot has deemed the Pentagon’s “Month from Hell.”

The former spokesman also pointed to an ensuing investigation into information leaks within the Pentagon that has so far ousted at least three top advisers, and criticized Hegseth for overseeing a “near collapse inside the Pentagon’s top ranks.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth departs a presentation ceremony for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House April 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Ullyot claimed Hegseth is “now presiding over a strange and baffling purge that will leave him without his two closest advisers of over a decade.” Win McNamee/Getty Images

“Hegseth is now presiding over a strange and baffling purge that will leave him without his two closest advisers of over a decade,” Ullyot wrote, referring to Pentagon aides Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, who were ousted last week as part of the investigation.

Ullyott also picked apart Hegseth’s involvement in Signalgate—and the secretary’s “horrible” public relations campaign that only exacerbated the issue.

“Once the Signalgate story broke, Hegseth followed horrible crisis-communications advice from his new public affairs team, who somehow convinced him to try to debunk the reporting through a vague, Clinton-esque non-denial denial that ‘nobody was texting war plans,’” Ullyot wrote. “This was a violation of PR rule number one — get the bad news out right away,” he continued, accusing Hegseth’s PR team of “turning an already-big story into a multi-week embarrassment for the president’s national security team.”

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) delivers remarks alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.
“The president deserves better than the current mishegoss at the Pentagon,” Ullyot said. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“There are very likely more shoes to drop in short order, with even bigger bombshell stories coming this week, key Pentagon reporters have been telling sources privately,” he added.

Though Ullyot recognized his prior support of Hegseth, writing that “he was the best man to shake things up at a Pentagon in need of serious reform,” he admitted that “even strong backers of the secretary like me must admit: The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration.”

“One reason the American people gave Trump a conclusive victory last November is that he’s not a go-along, get-along creature of the Beltway like many of his recent predecessors,” Ullyot continued. “But rather a shrewd businessman who expects results and holds his team accountable for serious mistakes that occur on their watch.”

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.
“Given his record of holding prior Cabinet leaders accountable, many in the secretary’s own inner circle will applaud quietly if Trump chooses to do the same in short order at the top of the Defense Department,” Ullyot concluded. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“The president deserves better than the current mishegoss at the Pentagon. Given his record of holding prior Cabinet leaders accountable, many in the secretary’s own inner circle will applaud quietly if Trump chooses to do the same in short order at the top of the Defense Department,” he concluded.

Drama at the Pentagon has only continued to escalate over the past few weeks, with The New York Times reporting as recently as Sunday that Hegseth was involved in yet another Signal scandal.

According to the newspaper, the defense secretary helmed another group chat on the app where he texted sensitive planning details about a military strike in Yemen to his wife, brother, and personal lawyer, among others.

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.

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