US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at reporters on Monday over a question about his use of a personal phone to discuss war plans in group chats with unauthorised participants.

Speaking in front of his children at the White House Easter Egg Roll, Hegseth suggested the stories had been planted by his own aides, three of whom he recently fired.

“What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired, and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax,” Hegseth said.

“This is what the media does: They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations,” Hegseth later added. “Not going to work with me, because we’re changing the Defence Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of war fighters.”

The New York Times reported pm Sunday that four sources said Hegseth had shared military attack plans in........

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