Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly directed a desktop computer in his Pentagon office be installed with the messaging app Signal, adding another layer to the controversy around his use of the encrypted messaging app, multiple outlets reported Thursday.
Hegseth earlier this year effectively “cloned” the Signal app on his personal cellphone to his computer as a way to get around blocks on the messaging app in classified areas, and to message people outside the Pentagon, The Washington Post first reported. Personal cell phones and electronics are not allowed in classified areas of the Pentagon.
Three people familiar with the matter told the outlet Hegseth and his aides discussed how they could bypass the lack of cellphone service in the Pentagon and more quickly connect with the White House and other top Trump officials using Signal.
Hegseth has two computers in his office, one for personal use and another that is government-issued, one of the people familiar with the matter told The Post.
The New York Times also reported Hegseth had cables installed in early March so he could connect the computer to Signal, a capability his confidential assistant and Col. Ricky Buria, his junior military aide, also had.
In addition, the Pentagon chief was interested in installing a program to send conventional text messages from the office, according to the Post.
When emailed by The Hill, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell denied the Signal usage on Hegseth’s computer.
“The Secretary of Defense’s use of communications systems and channels is classified. However, we can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer,” Parnell said in a statement.
The news follows the bombshell revelation that Hegseth on March 15 shared highly sensitive attack plans in a Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer hours ahead of airstrikes against Houthi militants in Yemen, an exchange reported by the Times on Sunday.
Hegseth had shared similar information in a group chat with top national security officials also hours before the U.S. operation. Details of that text chain became public knowledge because Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, reported he had been mistakenly added to the chat.
The Trump administration has sought to downplay the seriousness of the leaked war plans, with officials including Hegseth insisting no classified information was shared. That line of defense is being given more scrutiny after it was reported this week that Hegseth directly pulled details about the strikes sent from U.S. Central Command using a secure government network.
The Signal incident is under review by the Defense Department’s acting inspector general, which announced its investigation earlier this month after prompting by multiple lawmakers including Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss).
The scandal continues to make headlines amid infighting in Hegseth’s front office, with three senior aides fired last week over accusations of leaking to the media, a claim they deny.
Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, is also being moved to another position in the building, while a former top spokesperson, John Ullyot, penned a damning op-ed shortly after his departure, claiming the Defense Department has descended into “chaos” under Hegseth’s leadership.
Democrats have rallied around calls for Hegseth to step down, but most Republicans have remained publicly supportive, and President Trump continued to defend his Defense secretary.
