The secretary of the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, shared details about an imminent attack against the hutis in Yemen in March in a second group chat using the signal of the courier application that included his wife, his brother and his personal lawyer two sources familiar with the chat content told ABC News.
Those details shared in the second chat included the flight schedules for the Hornets F/A-18 involved in the pending attack against the huti positions, according to the officials. The New York Times was the first to inform Hegseth’s exchange of details in a second group of signals.
According to the reports, the exchange of details occurred at the same time in mid -March when the key members of the National Security Council of President Donald Trump, including Hegseth, inadvertently shared details about the missile strike of March 15 in Yemen with the editor in chief of the Atlantic.
The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, organizes an arrival ceremony for El Salvador Defense Minister, Rene Merino Monroy, in the Pentagon in Washington, on April 16, 2025.
Ken Cedeno/Reuters
Much of the same content was shared in the second chat encrypted with family members and others, a chat group that Hegseth had created on his personal phone during his confirmation process, the two officials told ABC News.
Hegesh’s wife, Jennifer Hegseth, does not work for the Department of Defense.
His brother, Phil Hegseth, works as the main advisor in the Department of National Security and is detailed for the Department of Defense. Tim Parlatore, Hegseth’s personal lawyer, works in the Pentagon as a Navy reservist assigned to Hegseth’s office.
Sean Parnell, chief spokesman of the Pentagon, responded to the reports of the second conversation in a statement about X on Sunday night saying in part: “Another day, another old story, support of the dead. The media that hate Trump are still obsessed with destroying anyone committed to the agenda of President Trump.”
The statement continued: “There was no information classified in any signal chat, regardless of how many ways try to write the story. What is true is that the office of the Secretary of Defense continues to be stronger and more efficient to execute the agenda of President Trump.”
The sources confirmed with ABC News that the second known signal chat was originally created to discuss programming and administrative information.
The Independent Inspector of the Pentagon is evaluating the use of Hegseth of the signal application “to determine to what extent the Secretary of Defense and other personnel of the Department of Defense complied with the policies and procedures of the Department of Defense” to carry out official businesses, the interim inspector general, Steven Steven Stebbins, in a notification letter to Hegseth.
The Trump administration has repeatedly refuted the idea that any classified information was shared in the first known chat thread; However, several former US officials have argued that the exchange of such unbeatted channels could put troops abroad at risk.
Its use to disseminate sensitive military operations can complicate the ongoing investigations on possible leaks involving the first known group chat, which included the main assistants and other members of the Pete Hegseth team, at least three since then they have been fired in relation to the investigation.
Those officials, Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick, have spoken against what they say they are unfounded accusations against them.
“At this time, we have not yet told us exactly why they investigated us, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with,” they said in a joint statement in X on April 19.
John Ullyot, the former Pentagon Pentagon spokesman, published an opinion article in politician on Sunday where he described “a month of total chaos in the Pentagon.”
“From leaks of sensitive operating plans to mass shots, dysfunction is now a great distraction for the president, which deserves better of his superior leadership,” he wrote.
“Hegesh now presides over a strange and disconcerting purge that has left him without his two closest advisors of more than a decade, Caldwell and Selnick, and without personnel leaders for him and his deputy,” Ulle wrote.
“Even the strong sponsors of the secretary as I must admit: the last month has been a complete collapse in the Pentagon, and is becoming a real problem for the administration,” he added.
“President Donald Trump has a strong history of making his senior officials accounts,” Ullyot wrote. “Given that, it is difficult to see the Secretary of Defense Pete Heghseth remain in his role for much longer.”
Ullyot left the Pentagon at the end of last week after being left aside after defending the elimination of Jackie Robinson’s information from a DOD website.
He said earlier this week that he had left the pentagon on his own, while a superior defense official told ABC News that Ullyot was asked to resign.
