Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth considered deploying an elite Army unit to Portland, Oregon, to address what President Donald Trump called “lawless mayhem,” according to text messages shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Last weekend, in a crowded public setting, high-ranking Trump administration officials reportedly exchanged messages about potentially deploying the Army’s 82nd Airborne, a division historically sent into combat in both World Wars, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.
Any move to send the unit domestically would likely face legal challenges under federal restrictions on the use of military forces within the United States.
Ultimately, the administration opted to deploy 200 federalized National Guard troops to Portland rather than active-duty Army forces. The state of Oregon and the city of Portland have filed suit in federal court seeking to block that deployment.
While traveling in Minnesota, Anthony Salisbury, deputy to White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, reportedly used the private messaging app Signal to send the texts, which were visible to people nearby.
Concerned by the public discussion of sensitive military plans, a source, fearing retaliation, anonymously provided the Star Tribune with images of the texts. The newspaper confirmed Salisbury as the sender using photos, video, and facial recognition, while verifying the authenticity of the messages, it reports.
Over dozens of messages, Salisbury spoke candidly, sometimes profanely, with Hegseth’s adviser, Patrick Weaver, and other officials, claiming that Hegseth wanted Trump’s explicit approval before sending troops into the city.
“Between you and I, I think Pete just wants the top cover from the boss if anything goes sideways with the troops there,” Weaver allegedly wrote.
He recognized the political risks of sending Army troops to a U.S. city, adding that Hegseth preferred deploying the National Guard instead.
“82nd is like our top tier [quick reaction force] for abroad. So it will cause a lot of headlines,” Weaver added. “Probably why he wants potus to tell him to do it.”
When approached for comment, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended Salisbury, noting he was in Minnesota to serve as a pallbearer at his uncle’s funeral.
“Despite dealing with grief from the loss of a family member, Tony continued his important work on behalf of the American people ... Frankly, this story just shows the entire Trump Administration is working around the clock – and even through funerals – to make America safe again.”
The statement was also critical of the reporting around the leak, claiming reporting outlets are “choosing to exploit a private moment of grief for clicks.”
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told The Independent in a statement, “The Star Tribune has acted in bad faith by repeatedly refusing to provide photos or a transcript of the messages in order to create their own narrative. This is not new information and only proves that the entire Trump Administration is working around the clock to Make America Safe Again.”
“The Department of War is a planning organization and does not speculate on potential future operations. The Department is continuously working with other agency partners to protect federal assets and personnel and to keep American communities safe,” Parnell added.
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