
The Republican majority in the House of Representatives has blocked an inquiry into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the encrypted messaging app Signal.
Hegseth shared sensitive details about military operations conducted against Houthis in Yemen in March in two different group chats, including one that involved his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told Morning Edition that House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans blocked any inquiry resolutions into the matter because they know Hegseth and his actions are "indefensible." Smith filed a resolution of inquiry, which allows a member of the House to force an investigation even when they're in the minority.
"They are so afraid of this issue — they can't defend it — that they don't want to talk about it," Smith said. "And they will go to extraordinary process lengths to try to prevent Congress from doing its job of exercising oversight over the Pentagon."