Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is one of President Donald Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks, at least as of late.

NPR reported recently that the White House was actively attempting to find a replacement for Hegseth in the wake of the Signal chat situation, but according to the Washington Examiner, the White House insisted that the report was "fake news."

It was on Monday when the left-leaning NPR reported that the White House had "begun the process of looking for a new secretary of defense" following a string of mostly overhyped Hegseth-related stories.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the NPR story with crystal clear insistence that the White House is not looking to replace Sec. Hegseth.

What happened?

Leavitt told reporters this week that President Trump "strongly" stands behind his Defense Secretary, noting that the NPR story was nothing more than another "fake news" attempt to stir up drama and confusion.

"The story is "total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about," Leavitt said. "As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind" Hegseth."

The president himself even weighed in on his top Cabinet pick, reiterating that he stands behind him in the face of relentless attacks by the leftwing media.

"He is doing a great job," Trump said. "Ask the Houthis how he's doing. Just fake news brings up stories. Sounds like disgruntled employees. He was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that is what he is doing."

The Examiner noted:

Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that Hegseth shared details about the U.S. military operations in Yemen in a second, previously unknown Signal group chat, which included his wife, brother, personal lawyer, and senior advisers.

The White House also denied the Times' report, insisting that no classified information was shared in either Signal chat.

White House refutes

This week, the White House also made it clear that Hegseth's Signal chat did not include any classified information as the Times suggested.

"No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same nonstory, they can't change the fact that no classified information was shared," said White House deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.

She added, "Recently fired 'leakers' are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the president's agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable."

Only time will tell when the liberal media gives up on Hegseth and focuses on someone else in Trump's administration.