Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pulled information he shared on Signal group chats from secure messages from a top American general in the Middle East, NBC News reported Tuesday. 

The sensitive military details, which he shared using his personal phone, were initially sent to Hegseth by U.S. Central Command head Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla minutes before U.S. fighter jets took off for strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis, three U.S. officials told NBC News.

Using a secure U.S. government system, Kurilla sent details about when the American fighters would take off and when they would hit their targets, keeping Hegseth in the loop.

Two sources told NBC that Hegseth less than 10 minutes after receiving the information sent some of it to two Signal group chats — one composed of Trump administration Cabinet officials, their designees, and mistakenly, the editor of The Atlantic magazine; the other including Hegseth’s family and personal lawyer, among others in his inner circle.

Hegseth shared the information on Signal days after an aide warned him to take caution and not send sensitive information on unsecure communications systems, two people told NBC.

The revelation about the source of the information, not previously reported, ignites fresh questions about the former Fox News host’s handling of sensitive military information. 

The Pentagon chief, who has staunchly denied the information relayed was classified, took to Fox & Friends Tuesday morning to repeat that message.

“I look at war plans every single day. What was shared over Signal, then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordination for media coordination and other things,” Hegseth said in an interview. “That’s what I’ve said from the beginning.” 

In response to questions from The Hill on the new report, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell also insisted “no classified material was ever shared via Signal.” 

“The ‘anonymous sources’ cited by NBC are disgruntled former DoD employees who no longer have access to classified materials and, as a result, have resorted to leaking fake stories in an attempt to sabotage President Trump and Secretary Hegseth,” Parnell said in an emailed statement.

The NBC report comes on the heels of a string of high-profile Pentagon staff firings and the revelation of the second Signal chat which included Hegseth’s wife and brother, reported by The New York Times on Sunday. 

The scandal has already prompted calls from lawmakers for Hegseth to resign or be fired, among them Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), the first Republican to suggest Hegseth should step down. 

“If it’s true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it’s totally unacceptable,” Bacon said. “I wouldn’t tolerate it if I was in charge.”

The White House, however, continues to show public support for Hegseth, with President Trump on Monday insisting he is “doing a great job.”

“Everybody’s happy with him,” Trump said at the White House Easter Egg Roll. “There’s no dysfunction at all.”

Hegseth, who was also at the event, did not specifically deny the news of a second Signal chat, instead attacking the press and what he called “disgruntled former employees. 

“This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations,” Hegseth said.