US Defence SecretaryPete Hegsethhas grown so isolated inside the Pentagon that his wife, a former Fox News producer with no formal government role, now regularly sits in the back of his official meetings while he runs a war and fires generals.
Jennifer Rauchet, Hegseth's third wife, has been spotted at multiple Pentagon meetings in recent months, surprising staff who say she holds no official title, no confirmed security clearance, and no accountability to Congress, according to an investigation published byThe Guardianon Sunday.
The 41-year-old former Fox & Friends producer met Hegseth while both worked at Fox News, and both were married to other people. Their extramarital affair reportedly led to Rauchet being reassigned to another show. The couple married in 2019 at Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey after both had finalised their divorces.
Rauchet was already a controversial figure before her Pentagon appearances. In early 2025, she was included in a Signal group chat where Hegseth shared sensitive military information about planned airstrikes in Yemen. The Pentagon's inspector general later found that Hegseth violated department rules by sharing classified details with unauthorised people on the messaging app, including his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to confirm whether Rauchet holds any security clearance. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters that she has 'never attended a meeting where sensitive information or classified information was discussed.'
That claim has done little to calm the concern. Senator Chris Coons told reporters it was 'not normal at all' for spouses to sit in on high-level Pentagon meetings.
Rauchet isn't the only family member filling the void left by fired officials. Hegseth's younger brother Phil was appointed as a senior adviser to the secretary for the Department of Homeland Security and liaison officer to the Defence Department in March 2025, the Associated Press reported. Phil, who holds a degree in journalism and communications, previously worked at conservative think tanks, including the Hudson Institute.
The pattern points to a Defence Secretary building a tight family circle to replace the institutional leadership he has systematically removed.
Since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, Hegseth has fired or forcibly retired 24 generals and senior commanders, with no performance-related reason offered for any dismissal,The Guardianreported. About 60% of those forced out have been Black or female.
The most recent was Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, reportedly fired after refusing Hegseth's instruction to strike four officers from a promotions list. Navy Secretary John Phelan was also ousted last month. Five former defence secretaries, including retired General Jim Mattis, have called the firings 'reckless' in a joint letter to Congress.
Source: International Business Times UK
