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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.
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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.
The Independent has contacted the White House and the Department of War on Saturday for comment.
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 by the Star Tribune, the White House reportedly declined to address the substance of the texts, but defended Salisbury, noting he was in Minnesota to serve as a pallbearer at a family funeral.
“Despite dealing with grief from the loss of a family member, Tony continued his important work on behalf of the American people,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the outlet in a written statement. “Nothing in these private conversations, that are shamefully being reported on by morally bankrupt reporters, is new or classified information.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to answer questions for this report, but stated that the messages reflect officials “working around the clock.” A spokesperson also criticized the Star Tribune for refusing requests to provide access to the images or transcripts of the texts.
“The Department of War is a planning organization and does not speculate on potential future operations,” Parnell said. “The Department is continuously working with other agency partners to protect federal assets and personnel and to keep American communities safe.”
