The chat was set up during Hegseth’s tumultuous confirmation hearing process as a way for his closest allies to strategize, two of the people familiar with the matter said. But Hegseth continued using the chat, which had more than a dozen people in it, to communicate after he was confirmed, the people said.
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under investigation for allegedly disclosing sensitive military plans regarding a March strike against Houthi rebels in Yemen through an unauthorized Signal group chat that included his wife, brother, and personal attorney, two officials told ABC News.
The messages reportedly contained flight schedules for F/A-18 Hornets involved in the operation, mirroring information inadvertently shared with a journalist in a separate March 15 incident. The private chat was created during Hegseth’s confirmation process for “administrative purposes,” sources said.
While Jennifer Hegseth holds no government role, brother Phil serves as a senior DHS adviser detailed to the Pentagon, and attorney Tim Parlatore is a Navy reservist assigned to Hegseth’s office. The Pentagon’s acting inspector general, Steven Stebbins, confirmed an ongoing review into whether officials violated protocols by using Signal for official business.
The Trump administration denies classified data was shared, but ex-officials warn such disclosures could endanger troops. Three aides—Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick—were fired amid the leak probe and claim in an April 19 statement: “We still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for.”
Former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot criticized the “month of total chaos,” citing “a strange and baffling purge” of Hegseth’s team in a Politico op-ed.