The Pentagon’s inspector general has obtained evidence showing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared classified military information over the encrypted messaging app Signal, according to two people familiar with the investigation, the Washington Post reports.
The evidence centers around a document taken from U.S. Central Command that was marked Secret/NOFORN, meaning no foreign nationals should see it. Investigators found that parts of this document were shared from Hegseth’s phone in a Signal group chat earlier this year.
This finding directly contradicts Hegseth’s repeated denials that any classified information was shared.
The Pentagon watchdog began investigating in April after concerns surfaced about Hegseth using Signal to discuss U.S. military operations in Yemen. The document in question was obtained early in the investigation, the sources said, and confirms that the material Hegseth shared was classified at the time.
One of the Signal chats included Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet officials. A second Signal chat, also linked to Hegseth’s phone, included his wife, brother, and personal attorney, according to CNN.
The inspector general’s office has not commented, citing its policy of staying silent on open investigations.
According to transcripts first reported by The Atlantic, Hegseth’s Signal messages from March 15 included details about upcoming U.S. airstrikes on the Houthi rebel group in Yemen—timing, planning, and assets involved. CNN later confirmed that the IG had secured proof the material was classified.
Investigators are also asking witnesses whether anyone else might have used Hegseth’s phone to send the messages, but sources say he was at his home in Tennessee when the classified information was sent.
One witness told the IG they had been part of around a dozen separate Signal chats involving Hegseth.
In a June congressional hearing, Hegseth refused to say whether the messages were classified, even as he claimed they weren’t.
“You can very well disclose whether or not it was classified,” Rep. Seth Moulton told him.
Hegseth replied, “What’s not classified is that it was an incredibly successful mission.”
The Pentagon inspector general’s review is ongoing.
