Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office has rejected the Pentagon watchdog’s investigation of his actions in sending sensitive attack plans over the Signal messaging app in March, calling the independent inquiry “a political witch hunt.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth privately discussed running for political office in Tennessee next year, according to a report. Two people who said they spoke directly with Hegseth about the matter told NBC News that the conversations focused on potential bids for elected office,

That would require him to step down as Pentagon chief, teeing up a major leadership change, albeit one that may be welcomed by some in the Department of Defense, where Hegseth’s purported paranoia and erratic moves have rankled White House officials and alienated staffers. It has all been enough that his allies apparently staged an intervention.