US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday demanded the immediate dismissal of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, accusing him of leaking classified military information in a setting that lacked proper security measures. Jeffries made the request in a formal letter addressed to President Donald Trump.

In the letter, Jeffries stated that Hegseth’s actions endangered national security and constituted a violation of federal law. He alleged that the Secretary of Defense disclosed the timing of a military operation, strike targets, and details about the weapons used during a national security group chat that included a journalist from The Atlantic.

“This breach of protocol and law cannot go unaddressed,” Jeffries wrote. “When the Secretary of Defense casually shares sensitive national security plans in a chat that includes a reporter, it puts lives at risk and undermines the integrity of our military operations.”

The call for Hegseth’s removal came one day after revelations surfaced indicating that Trump administration officials had shared military attack plans in a group chat on a secure messaging application. The inclusion of a journalist in the chat raised immediate concerns about information control and operational secrecy.

The incident has sparked a broader debate in Washington over the use of informal communication tools for discussing critical national security matters. Critics argue that such channels lack sufficient safeguards and are vulnerable to accidental disclosures or deliberate leaks.

President Trump has not yet responded to Jeffries’ request. Meanwhile, the administration continues to face questions over the circumstances of the leak and how the journalist was added to the group chat. An internal review is reportedly underway to assess the situation and determine accountability.

As scrutiny mounts, Jeffries and other lawmakers are calling for greater oversight and stricter protocols regarding the handling of military intelligence, particularly when it involves high-level officials and potential media exposure.