Last month, after news broke that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was using Signal to discuss sensitive military operations in violation of Pentagon policy, one of his closest military aides made an unusual inquiry to the Defense Department’s chief information officer: Would they grant an exception so Hegseth could keep using Signal freely?

The app facilitated communications in a building where cell service is poor and personal phones are not allowed in some areas.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer.