(NewsNation) — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he and President Donald Trump are “on the same page all the way” after reports Hegseth shared classified information over an unsecured Signal chat for a second time.
At Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll, Hegseth referred to the media as “hoaxters” for reports about the chat and called the allegations “anonymous smears” from disgruntled former employees.
Hegseth previously divulged details of an imminent U.S. attack on Yemen on a Signal chat that included a journalist. He shared similar information in a second chat on the messaging app with his wife, brother and personal lawyer on the same day, according to a report published Sunday.
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While Signal is a popular encrypted app used by government officials for organizational communications, it is not considered a secure means for sharing classified information.
The use of the app, which can be set to delete messages after a period of time, may also be in violation of laws regarding the preservation of government records.
The New York Times’ report — citing four people with knowledge of the exchange — comes after Hegseth and other members of Trump’s inner circle faced criticisms and calls to resign after a journalist was mistakenly invited into a Signal chat group March 15 as the U.S. readied strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
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The newly disclosed Hegseth chat group included his spouse, a former Fox News producer who is not a Defense Department employee, and shared the flight schedules of jet fighters, the New York Times said.
Hegseth’s brother Phil and Hegseth’s attorney Tim Parlatore were also reportedly in the chat. Although both have positions in the Pentagon, it’s not clear why they were looped in on the U.S. strike on Houthi targets.
NewsNation’s Michael Ramsey contributed to this report.
