Another Hegseth Scandal Rocks Trump

The Pentagon is pushing back hard at The Washington Post after the paper reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s security detail has ballooned to unprecedented levels, straining the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID). The report noted that CID has diverted agents from criminal investigations to guard Hegseth’s family homes in Minnesota, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. a multi-million-dollar operation that one official described as unlike anything in the agency’s modern history.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell blasted the story, insisting that Hegseth’s security posture is driven by the threat environment and fully recommended by CID. He cited two assassination attempts against President Trump, a surge in assaults on ICE agents, and Iran’s repeated threats of retaliation as reasons why enhanced protection is warranted. Parnell accused the Post of “doxing” Hegseth by publicizing details about his security and claimed the report itself put lives at risk.

While the Post withheld certain specifics, such as the size of Hegseth’s protective detail and their precise locations, Pentagon officials argue even the partial information compromises safety. “When left-wing blogs like the Washington Post continue to dox cabinet secretaries’ security protocols and movements, it puts lives at risk,” Parnell said in a statement.

According to the Post, Hegseth’s large blended family has significantly driven up manpower needs, with CID now pulling hundreds of agents from investigative duties to staff protective details. Some have been reassigned long-term to Tennessee and Minnesota, with others reduced to “sitting in cars on the driveway” or “watching luggage” instead of investigating serious crimes like contracting fraud or sexual assault. CID has even resorted to activating reservists to fill gaps.

Internally, frustration has grown. One CID official said the agency has a “complete inability to achieve our most basic missions.” At the same time, Army leadership maintains that CID “operates within existing resource constraints” and adjusts priorities to balance investigations with protection demands. Officials stressed that Hegseth himself never personally requested the expanded detail and has not interfered with CID’s recommendations.

The controversy adds another layer of tension around Hegseth, who has already drawn political fire for his close alignment with Trump. Critics say his expanding security bubble highlights both his rising vulnerability and his growing political baggage, as his role in the administration increasingly generates headlines that pull resources and attention away from the military’s core missions.

Adding to the strain, sources close to the White House say President Trump is privately frustrated by the situation, arguing that such a massive security apparatus for a cabinet member looks “wasteful” and risks becoming a distraction from his broader agenda. According to aides, Trump has complained that the political blowback over Hegseth’s protection is “handing ammunition to the fake news media” at a time when he wants Republicans focused on mail-in voting and election reform.