Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth poked fun at Signalgate on Thursday, referencing the scandal earlier this year in which he shared sensitive military planning around U.S. strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen via the online messaging platform Signal.
Hegseth, speaking at Fox Nation’s Patriot Awards, spotted fellow Trump administration official, United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz, in the crowd. It was Waltz who started the Signal group chat and inadvertently added The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the chain.
“I see Mike Waltz, Mike, I’ll hit you up on Signal later,” Hegseth said, drawing a mixture of laughter, groans and applause.
Waltz was then seen mouthing, “I’m good,” to Hegseth.
“Too soon?” Hegseth responded.
Hegseth in March shared sensitive information about impending airstrikes in Yemen, including precise launch and attack times, in a chat thread filled with emojis that included top officials including Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President Vance.
The scandal engulfed the administration for weeks, with some Democrats calling on Hegseth and Waltz to resign. Waltz, who at the time was serving as national security adviser to President Trump, was quickly moved into the U.N. ambassador role.
The GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee requested the Pentagon’s watchdog investigate Hegseth’s actions, an effort the Defense chief has derided as “a political witch hunt.”
The Defense Department inspector general has reportedly concluded the investigation but has yet to release its report.
Hegseth, who made a surprise appearance at the Fox Nation ceremony to celebrate the network’s “Salute to Service” honoree, Maj. James Capers Jr., has been unapologetic for his role in Signalgate, insisting repeatedly he never shared classified information.
At the ceremony, he delivered a monologue on his goal to rid the Defense Department of diversity initiatives, echoing remarks made in September when he addressed a room full of the U.S. military’s top generals and admirals.
He finished his speech by sharing orders Trump gave him to “be tough, and restore the warrior ethos.”