Pete Hegseth is in “full paranoia” and only trusts his wife and inner circle following a series of leaks at the Pentagon, insiders have claimed.

The defence secretary is said to have entered “full paranoia, back-against-the-wall mode” following a slew of embarrassing stories accusing him of incompetence, unprofessionalism and sharing sensitive military information, according to CNN.

Mr Hegseth, who came under intense pressure to step down from his role following a leaked group chat with a journalist, is accused of posting the same details about strike plans in another signal group.

In March, the Atlantic published a series of messages posted into a Signal group by Mr Hegseth describing the exact time and location of strikes by the US Air Force in Yemen before they had happened.

Jeffrey Goldberg, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, had erroneously been added into the chat, allegedly by a staffer of national security adviser, Mike Waltz.

The second chat Mr Hegseth is alleged to have shared the information into included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, sources told Politico.