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(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said Pete Hegseth is “doing a great job” despite what appear to be attacks from “disgruntled employees,” as the defense secretary is buffeted by staff dismissals, a leak investigation and a report that he shared sensitive military attack plans in a second unsecured chat group.

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“Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction there is,” Trump told reporters Monday during the annual Easter Egg roll on the White House lawn, referring to the military’s attacks on Houthi militants in Yemen.

The president’s support came after John Ullyot, who resigned last week after serving briefly as Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department has been overwhelmed by staff drama and turnover in the initial months of the second Trump administration. He called it a “full-blown meltdown” that could cost the defense secretary his job.

The criticism from Ullyot followed statements by three top Defense Department officials who were reportedly fired amid an inquiry into leaks. They said they weren’t told what they were being investigated for or if there was even a leak probe underway.

Analysts steeped in the Pentagon’s ways expressed amazement at the public infighting. “I can’t think of a precedent for this kind of recklessness among civilian leaders of the Pentagon,” said Kori Schake, a defense analyst with the American Enterprise Institute.

Hegseth — a 44-year-old former Fox News host and National Guard officer with a combat record but limited management experience — was already under scrutiny for sharing confidential information in a Signal chat group detailing an imminent attack against the Houthis. The group included top Trump administration officials as well as journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who wrote about the episode after being included inadvertently.

Now, a second Signal chat has emerged in which Hegseth shared the information about the pending strikes in Yemen with a group that included his wife and brother, according to a person familiar with the episode.

Asked about the second chat group, which the New York Times reported earlier, Trump said “it’s the same old stuff from the media. That’s an old one. Try finding something new.”

But Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said “if the reports are true, it is unacceptable, and I wouldn’t tolerate it.”