Military wife accuses Pete Hegseth of putting service members at risk in viral clip: 'Really frightening'

Military wife accuses Pete Hegseth of putting service members at risk in viral clip: 'Really frightening'
Military spouse’s tearful plea goes viral after calling out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over Signal chat leaks (@kendallybrown/Instagram, Omar Havana/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: A military wife’s furious response to the Signal-gate scandal has taken social media by storm.

Calling out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump, and top Republicans for downplaying the national security leak, Kendall Brown, 38, whose husband is currently deployed near Yemen, didn’t hold back in an emotional viral video.


 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Kendall Brown (@kendallybrown)


 

Military spouse calls out Pete Hegseth over husband's safety in viral video

“There hasn’t been a single night I haven’t cried myself to sleep for my husband’s safety and that of other service members,” Brown told The Daily Beast on Wednesday.

Brown took to X and Instagram to slam Republican lawmakers for backing the Defense Department after reports emerged that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had inadvertently included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat where missile strikes in Yemen were being discussed.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 21: Pete Hegseth pauses to talk to reporters after a series of meetings with senators in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on November 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. Hegseth was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next secretary of Defense. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Pete Hegseth pauses to talk to reporters after a series of meetings with senators in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on November 21, 2024 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Brown, a lifelong resident of Oklahoma, has been married for eight years to her husband, who has spent nearly their entire marriage serving in the military.

Currently stationed near Yemen, he is not in immediate danger, but Brown fears that mismanagement could jeopardize his safety and that of his fellow service members.

“I don’t think it’s fair for politicians in extremely cushy jobs, never at any risk themselves, to be making these kinds of decisions and (deploy) people while simultaneously dismissing the danger they’re put in by incompetent fools who can’t follow basic security laws,” she said.

Despite being a vocal Democrat, Brown’s criticism of the Trump administration’s treatment of service members has resonated across party lines. She claims her husband, an Air Force sergeant, is equally frustrated but unable to speak out due to military restrictions.

(@kendallybrown/Instagram)
Military spouse Kendall Brown accused Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, of 'violating the f**king Espionage Act' (@kendallybrown/Instagram)

“If the dozens of DMs I just received from active duty spouses are any indication, taking the votes for granted is a really big mistake that they’re going to come to regret,” she said.

She accused Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, of “violating the f**king Espionage Act” and putting thousands of service members in danger.

Brown argued that troops were only still alive because Goldberg didn’t leak the chat sooner.

White House response to Signal cheat leak fallout

The controversy comes just a week after the Pentagon warned employees about Signal’s security flaws. 

“It is really frightening to know such an impulsive, careless, and un-empathetic person is the one who controls whether my husband lives or dies,” she said.

“At every level of leadership, the leaders have shown that they don’t have the best interest of service members as a priority.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes a question from a reporter during the daily press briefing at the White House on February 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt spoke on the prisoner release from Russia, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and took questions on other topics. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes a question from a reporter during the daily press briefing at the White House on February 12, 2025 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt declined to comment directly but insisted that Trump and Hegseth take military lives “with the utmost responsibility.”

Senator Markwayne Mullin, whom Brown has repeatedly called out, posted a video attempting to dismiss the scandal, comparing it to Hillary Clinton’s email controversy.

But even he seemed uncertain, admitting, “Was the conversation something that should have happened? I don’t know.”



 

Brown accused the senator of being a coward and warned that if he failed to return her call, she would “destroy his career.”

She vowed to ensure that every Oklahoman knew just how little he cared about her husband's safety and the well-being of other active-duty service members.

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