Who is Jennifer Rauchet, wife of Pete Hegseth said to have been included on Signal chat about Yemen attack?
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s “Signalgate” has reared its head again after a new bombshell report that he shared details of a U.S. military strike on Yemen in a second group chat.
This time, Hegseth is in hot water for reportedly adding his wife Jennifer Rauchet, brother Phil, and personal attorney Tim Parlatore, to a second Signal group where details about upcoming military strikes aimed at the Houthis were discussed, according to the New York Times.
Details, including flight schedules for the warplanes involved, were shared by Hegseth in the group chat on March 15, the newspaper reports.
While a U.S. official told the Times that Hegseth did not share any classified information in the second group chat, reportedly accessed by the defense secretary on his private phone, he is already facing calls to resign from the Democrats.
The Independent has contacted the Pentagon for comment.
It is not clear why Hegseth’s wife, who has also accompanied him on meetings with foreign military officials, would need to know about upcoming military strikes.
Hegseth often refers to Rauchet as his “rock” and the pair often gush about one another on their social media accounts.
“I’ve missed him, but great to watch my husband visiting friends on the other side of the world,” Rauchet wrote about Hegseth in an Instagram post three weeks ago. “He loves this country and all the men and women who serve it everywhere.”
“Grateful to have my incredible wife @jennycdot by my side for our first international trip,” Hegseth wrote about his wife ahead of his first overseas trip since being sworn into office.
The couple met while they both worked at Fox News where he was a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend and she was working for the network as a producer.
They wed in 2019 at Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck, New Jersey. Before their wedding, they were both pictured at the club wearing red “Make Weddings Great Again” hats, resembling President Donald Trump’s signature MAGA baseball cap.
Rauchet is Hegseth’s third wife and he has a 7-year-old daughter with her. They both have three children each from previous relationships.
In a recent appreciation post, Hegseth also referred to Rauchet as his “valentine.”
Before Rauchet, Hegseth split from his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, in 2009, and divorced his second wife, Samantha Deering, in 2017.
