Bolton: Hegseth Should Resign 'for His Own Safety's Sake'

Former national security adviser John Bolton said on Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should resign amid mounting scrutiny of his leadership at the Pentagon.

“No, I think he should resign for his own safety’s sake, if nothing else,” Bolton told CNN’s Pamela Brown, when asked whether Hegseth should still be on the job.

Bolton particularly noted concerns he has following reports that Hegseth used the messaging app Signal to share sensitive information in group chats that included his wife and a reporter.

“This is a critical time for the American military,” Bolton continued. “We understand the Trump administration will rightly propose enormous budget increases for defense. We need it. “

“We need a secretary who can get the job done, not somebody who spends his time on Signal chat groups,” he added.

Bolton said that when he served as President Trump’s national security adviser, “I almost never used my personal cell phone.”

“I mean, the breaches of security at risk in this conduct are enormous. And I think that’s one reason why he shouldn’t be in the job,” Bolton added.

Bolton served in Trump’s first administration, but has become an outspoken critic of the president in recent years.

Hegseth has been at the center of controversy in recent weeks in the wake of reports about his usage of Signal and his management of the Defense Department.

He and the administration have defended the use of the messaging app, saying no classified information was shared in the group chats, and Trump told The Atlantic in an interview earlier this week that he thinks Hegseth will “get it together.”

The president had a similarly optimistic tone in an ABC News interview on Tuesday.

“I had a talk with him, and whatever I said I probably wouldn’t be inclined to tell you,” Trump said about Hegseth. “But — we had a good talk. He’s a talented guy. He’s young. He’s smart, highly educated.”

“And I think he’s gonna be a very good defense, hopefully a great defense secretary,” the president added.