An adviser to US President Donald Trump, who requested anonymity, said, quoted by NewsNation, that the White House administration wants Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to succeed, but admitted that he lacks the character and capacity to successfully handle the job.
"He doesn't have the skills to be successful... Pete has been a problem for a long time and will continue to be a problem. He lacks management skills. "He doesn't have the character to be in this position," the adviser said in an interview with the television channel.
The adviser admitted that the scandal with the Signal chat, in which US military plans were discussed in front of a randomly added journalist, was a "media fiasco", but stressed that for now the position of the Secretary of Defense is not in danger.
On Monday, the Pentagon denied media reports that Pete Hegsett had published classified information in a group chat that included his relatives.
NPR, citing an unnamed US official, reported on Monday that the White House has begun searching for a new candidate for the post amid a series of scandals related to the US Secretary of Defense. The White House later denied the information.