Hegseth Signal messages came from email classified ‘SECRET,’ watchdog told

The Pentagon’s independent watchdog has received evidence that messages from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Signal account previewing a U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen derived from a classified email labeled “SECRET/NOFORN,” people familiar with the matter said.

The revelation appears to contradict longstanding claims by the Trump administration that no classified information was divulged in unclassified group chats that critics have called a significant security breach.

The messages about the bombing campaign, posted in at least two group chats using the unclassified messaging app Signal, are the focus of an inquiry by the Defense Department inspector general’s office requested in April by Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The strike plans had been shared in a classified email with more than a dozen defense officials by Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the top commander overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East, and then were posted in the unclassified group chats by an account affiliated with Hegseth on March 15, shortly before the United States began attacking Houthi militants, the people familiar with the matter said.

The “SECRET” classification of Kurilla’s email, which has not previously been reported, denoted that the information was classified at a level at which unauthorized disclosure could be expected to cause serious damage to national security. The “NOFORN” label means it also was not meant for anyone who is a foreign national, including senior officials of close allies of the U.S.

In accordance with government regulations, Kurilla sent his sensitive message over a classified system, the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNet, four people familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisal by the Trump administration.

The message included a rundown of strike plans for the day, including when bombing was expected to begin and what kind of aircraft and weapons were to be used. The disclosure of the sensitive information drew both criticism and bewilderment because the group chat inadvertently included a journalist from the Atlantic magazine who is a frequent critic of President Donald Trump.

Administration officials doubled down on those claims in new statements to the Washington Post, touting its actions in the military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen earlier this year and more recently in strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

“The Department stands behind its previous statements: no classified information was shared via Signal,” said Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, in an emailed statement. “As we’ve said repeatedly, nobody was texting war plans and the success of the Department’s recent operations — from Operation Rough Rider to Operation Midnight Hammer — are proof that our operational security and discipline are top notch.”

Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, pointed out that the Houthis, a militant group long affiliated with Iran, have since agreed to a ceasefire and criticized the Post for continuing to scrutinize what happened in the Signal affair, even as the Defense Department inspector general continues to do the same at the request of lawmakers.

“This Administration has proven that it can carry out missions with precision and certainty, as evidenced by the successful operations that obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities and killed terrorists,” Kelly said in a statement.

Kelly added: “It’s shameful that the Washington Post continues to publish unverified articles based on alleged emails they haven’t personally reviewed in an effort to undermine a successful military operation and resurrect a non-issue that no one has cared about for months.”

The apparent creator of the main Signal group at issue, former White House national security adviser Michael Waltz, was ousted from his job less than two months after the episode was revealed in March. Numerous top administration officials were also part of the group chat, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

Waltz, now Trump’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, came under criticism last week during his confirmation hearing for refusing to concede the unclassified group chat was a mistake.

“I was hoping to hear from you that you had some sense of regret over sharing what was very sensitive, timely information about a military strike on a commercially available app,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware). “We both know Signal is not an appropriate and secure means of communicating highly sensitive information.”

Waltz, who like Hegseth served as an Army officer before entering politics, also insisted that “no classified information was shared.” He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Defense Department inspector general’s office declined to comment and has a general policy of not commenting on open cases.

Government regulations allow for the defense secretary to declassify and downgrade classified information produced by the Pentagon, but the Trump administration has yet to claim that such a process was carried out before the sensitive information was shared over Signal. Two people familiar with the evidence the inspector general’s office is reviewing said they were aware of no such discussion having occurred before the scandal erupted.

NBC News reported in April about the transfer of information from Kurilla’s message to the Signal chats, while the Wall Street Journal reported in May that the inspector general was scrutinizing one group chat that included Cabinet officials and another that included Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer; his brother, Phil; and personal attorney, Tim Parlatore. Jennifer Hegseth has no official role in the Pentagon, while Phil Hegseth has worked as a liaison on matters pertaining to the Department of Homeland Security, and Parlatore serves as a part-time military aide in addition to being Hegseth’s personal lawyer.

Part of the emphasis of the inspector general’s review will be to establish who posted messages that may have been classified in the group chat under Hegseth’s name, people familiar with the matter said. In addition to the defense secretary, Marine Corps Col. Ricky Buria, then a military aide to Hegseth, had access to his personal phone and sometimes posted information on his behalf, officials familiar with the matter said. Individuals interviewed by the inspector general said Buria told colleagues that he typed the controversial Yemen texts into Hegseth’s phone, said people familiar with the matter. Buria has not spoken publicly about the matter and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Such information, before an operation, would generally always be classified to protect the U.S. troops involved, security experts have said. Retired Adm. William McRaven, the Navy SEAL officer who oversaw the raid that killed al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden, said in April that Hegseth’s team has not handled the controversy well and “clearly, the information broadcast on Signal was classified.”

Buria abruptly submitted retirement paperwork in April and has since become a de facto chief of staff to Hegseth, a political position. He frequently appears at the defense secretary’s side. Trump and Hegseth recently authorized Buria to retire from the Marines as a colonel, bypassing federal law stating that, in most cases, a military officer of his standing must serve three years at a rank to retire with it.