Let’s not mince words: the veterans’ community, which has historically been quick to scream bloody murder over any perceived OPSEC violation, is now either dead silent or bending over backward to excuse Pete Hegseth’s reckless behavior. Remember when Hillary Clinton’s emails were supposedly the greatest threat to national security? Veterans groups, including the American Legion, were front and center demanding accountability. Yet here we are in 2025, with Hegseth sharing real-time operational details about airstrikes in Yemen via a Signal chat—including exact times for bomb drops and aircraft launches—and bringing his wife into classified briefings. The silence from these same groups is deafening. If you’re not calling out this blatant breach of security with the same energy you had for “but her emails,” then you’ve lost all credibility.
The Signal chat scandal isn’t just a minor slip-up—it’s a textbook OPSEC disaster. Hegseth shared sensitive details about an ongoing military operation, information that experts agree would have been classified at the time. Worse, the group chat included Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg by mistake, a blunder so careless it would make a junior officer blush. And yet, instead of outrage, we get excuses like “it wasn’t classified” or “it wasn’t war plans.” Bullshit. Operational details like this are inherently classified because they put American lives at risk. Veterans like me know damn well that if an enlisted service member had done this, they’d be court-martialed faster than you can say “Fox and Friends.” But because it’s Hegseth—a Trump loyalist—it’s just another “oops.” Add in his wife attending classified meetings without clearance, and it’s clear this isn’t just incompetence; it’s arrogance and entitlement on full display.
And then there’s the American Legion, tying itself into knots trying to have it both ways. On one hand, they’ve publicly opposed Project 2025—a Heritage Foundation plan that proposes gutting VA benefits and laying off tens of thousands of VA workers—calling these cuts “unconscionable.” On the other hand, they still support Trump, whose administration is actively implementing parts of this plan. How can you claim to defend veterans while backing the guy who’s slashing their benefits? It’s political whiplash at its worst. The Legion was loud and proud when it came to condemning Clinton’s emails in 2016, but now they’re silent on Hegseth’s Signal scandal and his reckless disregard for OPSEC. Their selective outrage reveals what this is really about: politics over principles.
Here’s the bottom line: organizations like the American Legion and veterans who remain silent on Hegseth are enabling hypocrisy that undermines everything we stand for as a community. You can’t wave a MAGA flag with one hand and claim to defend veterans with the other while excusing actions that endanger our troops and gut their benefits. It’s time for accountability—whether it’s calling out Hegseth for his reckless behavior or breaking ties with politicians who actively harm those who served. Right now, veterans deserve better than spineless leaders who care more about political loyalty than protecting those who put their lives on the line for this country. If you’re not willing to stand up now, then don’t ever lecture anyone about OPSEC again.
