Defense Department officials are denying new reporting that its inspector general has received evidence that the details Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared on Signal were taken from a classified document.
The Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General began its review of the secretary’s use of Signal in April. Shortly into the review, it obtained the document that Hegseth relayed the information from, which was marked “Secret/NORFORN,” meaning no foreign nationals should see it, according to the Washington Post. The plans were initially shared with Hegseth by Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command.
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The classification of this document appears to undercut the Pentagon’s repeated defense of Hegseth’s sharing of this information ahead of U.S. military operations in Yemen targeting the Houthis.
“This Signal narrative is so old and worn out, it’s starting to resemble Joe Biden’s mental state,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Washington Examiner. “The department stands behind its previous statements: No classified information was shared via Signal.
“As we’ve said repeatedly, nobody was texting war plans, and the success of the department’s recent operations, from Operation Rough Rider to Operation Midnight Hammer, are proof that our operational security and discipline are top notch,” he added.
Like Parnell, Hegseth has repeatedly said he did not share “war plans.”
The group chat Hegseth shared information in was reported by the Atlantic when one of its journalists was unwittingly added by President Donald Trump’s then-national security adviser, Mike Waltz. The chat also included more than a dozen Cabinet officials.
The participants in the group chat debated in March whether the U.S. should begin a sustained military campaign against the Houthis, and days later, Hegseth shared details of the impending operation. He discussed the timing of strikes and what U.S. equipment and weapons would be used. The Atlantic released the content of the chat.
He shared similar details in a second group chat on the same platform, which included senior aides, his wife, his brother, and his personal attorney.
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The secretary declined to discuss the classification level of the information he shared in the chat during a congressional hearing last month.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is also reviewing Hegseth’s use of Signal, in addition to the Pentagon Office of Inspector General’s review.