United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Monday that the secretary did not disclose classified information in any Signal chat, adding that US media rely on people who have recently been fired and want "to sabotage the Secretary and the President's [Donald Trump] agenda."

Parnell's remarks come after US news outlets reported that Hegseth shared detailed plans on military operations against Yemen-based Houthis via a group chat on his private phone. The Signal group chat included the secretary's wife, brother, and lawyer, and was created during Hegseth's confirmation hearing process to help his closest allies develop strategies, according to a CNN report.

In recent days, several of Hegseth's closest advisors were put on leave, including his chief of staff, Joe Kasper, and press secretary, John Ullyot, who revealed that "it's been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon," warning that "the dysfunction is now a major distraction" for Trump.