Yemen Monitor / Washington / Special:
The US Department of Defense’s internal oversight office has obtained evidence that encrypted messages sent from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “Signal” account included details from a classified email, according to senior US officials familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News.
The chat messages contained information about a planned US bombing operation in Yemen in March and were sent to several Trump administration officials in a “Signal” group — which became public when a reporter was accidentally added to the chat. At the time, administration officials denied sharing any classified information in the chat.
The two officials, who requested anonymity to speak about an ongoing investigation involving senior Trump administration officials, stated that key information in the messages was derived from a classified email named “SECRET//NOFORN.”
The “SECRET” classification indicates that the information is classified as secret and that its disclosure could cause serious damage to national security, potentially endangering the safety of service members. The “NOFORN” marking indicates that the information can only be disseminated to US agencies and individuals, excluding foreign nationals and even close US allies.
The Washington Post first reported on the Department of Defense Inspector General’s office obtaining the evidence on Wednesday.
When contacted by CBS News on Wednesday, the Inspector General’s office said it would not comment on ongoing oversight projects. In April, the DoD Inspector General announced it would assess the Defense Secretary’s use of commercial messaging applications for official business and whether his office complied with classification and record-keeping requirements.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement: “The Department stands by its previous statements: no classified information was exchanged via Signal.” He also described reports about the Secretary’s use of Signal as “so old and trite that they are beginning to resemble Joe Biden’s mental state.”
Trump administration officials have faced intense scrutiny since the existence of the Signal chat messages was first reported by The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally added to the Signal group chat by then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Trump officials in the Signal chat group repeatedly denied sharing classified information in the group.
But US officials familiar with the evidence received by the Pentagon’s oversight office told CBS News on Wednesday that the information Hegseth shared in the encrypted Signal chat group was derived from a classified email sent by General Michael “Erik” Kurilla to dozens of defense officials. Kurilla oversees US Central Command (CENTCOM), the primary DoD organization responsible for conducting US military operations in the Middle East.
The Atlantic published screenshots it said were from the Signal chat, which appeared to show Hegseth sharing a timeline of planned attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen. It listed the timing of two sets of F-18 launches and strikes, a set of drone strikes, and some Tomahawk missile strikes.
According to the magazine, one message stated: “Just confirming with CENTCOM that we’re good to go with the mission.”
Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said in an April statement: “There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story.” He made this claim after reports showed Hegseth also shared details in a separate Signal chat that included his family members.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe — both of whom appeared to be members of the chat group — also told lawmakers in March that no classified material was exchanged.
Ratcliffe said Signal was an “authorized app” approved by the White House for use by senior officials and that the group chat was “a mechanism for senior official communication but not a substitute for using high-level or classified communications.”
According to federal regulations, the Secretary of Defense has the authority to declassify information, but after the messages surfaced, Hegseth did not answer when reporters asked if he had taken this approach before sharing information on Signal.
“No one was sending war plans over text messages,” Hegseth told reporters in March.
Signal is a free messaging app popular for its high encryption standards, which prevent people other than senders or recipients from viewing messages.
Human error remains a vulnerability for Signal and other encryption apps, as demonstrated by the incident involving Hegseth. In February, the National Security Agency warned its employees that Russian hacking groups were using phishing messages to gain access to Signal user accounts, allowing them to view victims’ activity, according to documents obtained by CBS News earlier this year.
