Pete Hegseth just can’t stop himself from using Signal.
The defense secretary installed the encrypted-but-unclassified messaging app on a desktop computer in his Pentagon office to work around restrictions that prevent him from using personal devices to communicate with people outside headquarters.
Three sources told The Washington Post that Hegseth effectively “cloned” the Signal app from his personal phone, following a discussion with his aides about how they could circumvent the lack of cellphone service in most parts of the Pentagon so that they could coordinate with the White House and other Trump officials quicker.
Hegseth also reportedly had Signal installed on a second computer in his Pentagon office, and expressed an interest in installing a program that would allow him to send conventional texts from his perch.
Other Hegseth aides, including his recently-resigned chief of staff Joe Kasper, were also keen on using Signal on Pentagon computers, though The Post’s sources were unclear on how widespread the practice became across Hegseth’s team.
Hegseth spokesperson Sean Parnell said the defense secretary “has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer.”
The defense secretary’s use of Signal to discuss confidential information came under intense scrutiny after The Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed in a bombshell report that he was accidentally added to a group chat of high-ranking national security officials discussing a military strike in Yemen.
In the aftermath of the controversy–now known as “Signalgate”–the Senate Armed Services Committee requested that a Defense Department inspector general review Hegseth’s use of the app. The inspector general’s office agreed this month to take up the case.
Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Hegseth had a second Signal group chat discussing the Yemen strike—this time, with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
But Hegseth remained defiant in the face of controversy, telling Fox News that he wasn’t worried about losing his job.
“I haven’t blinked and I won’t blink because this job is too big and too important. No one’s texting war plans,” he said. “At the Defense Department—I want this to be clear—we take the classification of information very important. It’s very significant to us to safeguard it.”
President Donald Trump has also expressed confidence in his pick to lead the Pentagon despite the back-to-back hits that have plagued the agency.
“Pete’s doing a great job. Everybody’s happy with him,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “Are you bringing up Signal again? I thought they gave that up two weeks ago. It’s the same old stuff from the media. Try finding something new.”
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