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.

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?

Pete Hegseth just can’t stop himself from using Signal. The defense secretary installed the encrypted-but-unclassified messaging app on a desktop computer in his Pentagon office to work around restrictions that prevent him from using personal devices to communicate with people outside headquarters.