Hegseth: Information Shared On Second Signal Chat 'informal’ And ‘unclassified'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defending himself after he shared information in a second Signal group chat with family members and his personal lawyer, arguing the messages were “informal” and “unclassified."

Hegseth maintained no “war plans” were shared in the chat — as he said regarding the first controversial Signal chat in which a journalist from The Atlantic was included alongside members of the White House national security team discussing strikes being carried out on Houthi rebels in Yemen. 

“I look at war plans every single day. What was shared over Signal, then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordination for media coordination and other things,” he said Tuesday during a "Fox & Friends" interview. “That's what I've said from the beginning.” 

The Defense chief was thrust back into the spotlight following a report from The New York Times on Sunday that he shared attack plans in a Signal chat that included his wife, brother and lawyer, along with others involved in Hegseth’s personal and professional life. The outlet also reported he created and accessed the chat with his personal phone instead of using a government device.

The report echoes last month's revelation that Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic's editor in chief, was added to a Signal group chat that included top leaders Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Vice President Vance, among others, as they discussed the Yemen attack. In that instance, Waltz was the one who added Goldberg to the chat. 

The Trump administration has stood by Hegseth following the most recent disclosure, with President Trump saying the Pentagon leader is doing a “great job,” denouncing the allegations as “fake news.” The Defense secretary accused the media of turning to “anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees” and trying to “slash and burn people and ruin their reputations.” 

Hegseth said during the Fox News interview that the Defense Department takes the classification of information seriously and pointed to the department’s investigation into leaks that have led to the firings of three employees. 

“As a result of that, everything we do here is above board, trying to make sure that we safeguard information,” he said, responding to questioning from Fox's Brian Kilmeade. “In this point, those folks who were leaking, who have been pushed out of the building, are now attempting to leak and sabotage the president's agenda and what we're doing. And that's unfortunate. It's not what I do. It's not how we operate.” 

“Disgruntled former employees are peddling things to try to save their a‑‑,” the secretary added later. “And ultimately, that's not going to work.” 

Hegseth also confirmed reports that his chief of staff, Joe Kasper, is leaving his position for another role within the department, praising him as having done a “fantastic job.” 

“He's staying with us,” he said. “Going to be in a slightly different role, but he's not going anywhere, certainly not fired. You make changes over time, and we're grateful for everything Joe's done.”