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.

The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the latest revelation about Hegseth’s use of the unclassified app.