White House Denies Classified Info Shared via Signal Amid Pentagon Turmoil
The White House has pushed back on allegations that classified information was shared on the encrypted messaging app Signal, following reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used the platform to discuss upcoming military strikes with individuals outside official defense channels, including his wife and brother.
Former Defense Department spokesperson John Ullyot, who resigned last week, wrote in a Politico op-ed that it’s “hard to see” Hegseth remaining in his post for much longer, describing the past month at the Pentagon as “total chaos.”
Hegseth has faced mounting criticism in his early tenure at the Department of Defense, as questions grow about his leadership and judgment. Scrutiny intensified after The New York Times reported that Hegseth shared U.S. military F/A-18 flight schedules targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen in a Signal chat. On the same day, he reportedly disclosed attack plans in another chat that mistakenly included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief.
According to the Times, that second group included Hegseth’s wife, a former Fox News producer, his brother, and his personal attorney. The Wall Street Journal also previously reported that Hegseth brought his wife to at least two meetings with foreign officials where sensitive topics were discussed.
Though both Hegseth’s brother, Phil, and his lawyer, Tim Parlatore, now work at the Pentagon, it remains unclear why they were included in discussions about military operations in the Middle East.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz previously took responsibility for creating the Signal group “Houthi PC small group” in March, which inadvertently added The Atlantic’s editor. That group also included Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and other top officials.
Senior Trump administration figures insisted that no classified material was shared, but analysts and critics expressed doubt. The Pentagon’s inspector general has launched an investigation into potential unauthorized disclosures related to U.S. operations in Yemen.
“No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can't change the fact that no classified information was shared,” said White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly in a statement.
Another Signal group chat, previously unreported and named “Defense | Team Huddle,” was reportedly created by Hegseth in January using his personal phone before his Senate confirmation. Sources told the Times the group was mostly used for scheduling and logistics, not operational discussions. However, reports indicate Hegseth discussed Yemen strikes in that chat around the same time he shared plans in the "Houthi PC small group."
The “Team Huddle” chat reportedly included senior adviser Dan Caldwell and deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick. Both were among three Pentagon aides—alongside former deputy chief of staff Colin Carroll—who were fired last week amid allegations of unauthorized leaks.
A memo from Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, dated March 21, called for an internal probe into what he described as "unauthorized disclosures of national security information."
In a joint statement, the ousted aides criticized how their departures were handled, claiming they were publicly smeared without due process. “We still haven’t been told what exactly we were investigated for—or even if there was a real investigation,” they said.
Deputy press secretary Kelly pushed back, accusing the fired staffers of spreading misinformation “to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the president’s agenda.”
Ullyot, in his Politico piece, alleged that Hegseth’s team attempted to tarnish the reputations of the dismissed aides by leaking false information to the press.
Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff, is reportedly planning to step down in the coming days, according to Politico.
“In short, the building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership,” Ullyot wrote.
On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Hegseth’s resignation, saying: “The details keep coming out. We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) urged Republicans to join Democrats in demanding Hegseth step down.
Responding to the renewed controversy, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell dismissed the allegations as recycled news: “Another day, another old story—back from the dead,” he posted on social media. “There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story.”
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