Nicolle Wallace, host of MS NOW, scrutinized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on her Wednesday, December 3, 2025 show. She dubbed the current state of affairs “sloppy and haphazard,” pondering the extent of embarrassment President Donald Trump would endure from his Defense Secretary.
Wallace’s remarks on “Deadline: White House” arose amidst increasing controversies involving Hegseth. These include a Caribbean boat strike incident raising war crimes concerns and an ongoing Pentagon Inspector General review of his use of the Signal messaging app.
“Pete Hegseth at Donald Trump’s cabinet meeting seemed to strive to further tarnish his own image,” stated Wallace, citing worries about his comments related to the boat strike incidents.
The controversy is rooted in a September 2, 2025 military strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea. Multiple reports suggest that Hegseth allegedly ordered to “kill everybody” on the vessel. Following the initial strike, a second strike was ordered, killing at least two survivors who were clinging to wreckage in the water.
Concerning Hegseth’s accounts, Wallace pointed out a blatant inconsistency. Initially, he told Fox News on September 2 that “I watched it live. We knew exactly who was in that boat, we knew exactly what they were doing.” However, at a Cabinet meeting on December 2, Hegseth asserted he “didn’t stick around” after the first strike, distancing himself from responsibility for the second strike.
Since September, the Trump administration has executed at least 22 boat strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, resulting in a minimum of 83 casualties in operations against purported narco-terrorists.
Wallace then referred to “Signalgate,” alluding to the Pentagon’s investigation into Hegseth’s communication methods. She depicted it as a significant national security breach resulting from the “”sloppy and haphazard nature of Donald Trump’s national security team when they shared national security information, including war plans.””
Hegseth shared details about a forthcoming military operation in Yemen that occurred in March via Signal, a commercial messaging app. “That report says that Pete Hegseth shared information in that Signal chat. Information—that put mission operations and servicemen and women at risk—about a pending military operation in Yemen that took place in March of this year,” elaborated Wallace.
The Inspector General’s report, released December 3, determined that while the mission was not compromised, Pete Hegseth contravened department policies by using Signal, a commercial messaging app not sanctioned for sharing classified information.
In the messages, Hegseth disclosed details about targets, timing, and aircraft to at least two separate Signal groups. One chat involved senior Trump officials and, inadvertently, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic. A second chat encompassed his wife, brother, and personal attorney.
Wallace criticized the seemingly inconsistent responses to Hegseth’s infractions. She asserted that it’s crucial to note that if anyone other than Pete Hegseth — like individuals lower in the chain of command — had committed these acts, they would face expulsion from the military and likely criminal prosecution.
Despite the Inspector General’s findings, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell labeled the report a “total exoneration” of Hegseth—a characterization disputed by Wallace and other critics.
Hegseth, an ex-Fox News host who co-hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend” from 2017 to 2024, narrowly survived a heated Senate confirmation in January 2025. His confirmation came only after Vice President JD Vance cast a rare tie-breaking vote. The Army National Guard combat veteran faced rigorous scrutiny over allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking, and mismanagement of veterans’ organizations during confirmation hearings.
Wallace lambasted the scandals as “an embarrassment not only for the nation that the military serves, [but] for the men and women in it, and for its commander-in-chief, frankly, Donald Trump.”
She concluded her segment by examining Trump’s tolerance for continued controversy. “And it calls into question just how much more embarrassment Donald Trump is going to tolerate from his handpicked, bipartisanly opposed Secretary of Defense,” added Wallace.
The White House has defended Hegseth despite escalating controversies. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that “President Trump stands by Secretary Hegseth.””
Both the boat strikes and Signal communications are under congressional investigation, with lawmakers from both parties demanding complete transparency and accountability.
“Deadline: White House” broadcasts weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on MS NOW, where Wallace consistently offers political analysis and commentary on current events.
