Pentagon probes examine key Hegseth allies
The Defense Department Inspector General's office first opened an investigation in early April into whether Hegseth violated the agency's standards for sharing classified information by using the commercial messaging app to discuss active attack plans in Yemen.
As part of that probe, investigators are looking into whether senior Hegseth aide Ricky Buria helped the Pentagon chief set up an unsecured internet line that bypassed the agency's security protocols and allowed Hegseth to access Signal, according to the three people, all of whom were interviewed recently by officials about the situation. The Signal app is not approved for government use when discussing classified information because of security concerns.
In a separate inquiry led by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, a federal law enforcement agency within the Pentagon, investigators are asking whether Buria could have been a source for leaks when he sat in on sensitive meetings as a military aide earlier this year and had access to Hegseth's devices, according to the three people.
Investigators for the Air Force agency, known as OSI, also want to know whether the Pentagon chief's personal attorney, Tim Parlatore — who serves as a top DOD adviser — attended meetings beyond his clearance level where classified information was discussed, and his role investigating the leaks, the three people said. The focus of the DOD probes on the two top Hegseth aides has not been previously reported.
The inquiries into the actions of Hegseth and his inner circle could further destabilize the Pentagon's top ranks after a spate of firings in a leak investigation left the Defense secretary without a chief of staff or a top policy adviser for months. The Air Force investigation began this spring.
'Ricky and Tim are some of the folks that they're zeroing in on as they try to get to the root of everything,' said one of the people familiar with the two probes. This person, like the others, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive ongoing investigations.
Buria didn't respond to a request for comment, while Parlatore declined to comment. The DOD IG declined to comment, citing longstanding policy not to talk publicly about the scope or timeline of oversight projects. The Air Force declined to discuss details about the probe.
Buria, the top military aide who recently transitioned to a senior DOD civilian job, and Parlatore, Hegseth's longtime lawyer, have emerged as two of the Pentagon chief's most trusted allies.
But officials have hinted that the administration's patience may be wearing thin from repeated missteps by Hegseth and his close allies— including catching much of Washington off guard on key policy decisions ranging from the freeze of Ukraine military aid to reviewing the AUKUS submarine deal.
That Defense Department investigators have homed in on Buria and Parlatore also represents a possible step forward in a probe that has consumed the Pentagon for months.
The Pentagon IG probe came after reports in The Atlantic that Hegseth in March had used Signal to discuss details of military operations in Yemen with top Trump administration officials.
Questions the IG investigators have asked witnesses include, 'Who wrote the information attributed to the Secretary of Defense in The Atlantic regarding the 'Houthi PC Small Group' Signal chat?' and 'Please describe who was present with the Secretary of Defense on March 15, 2025,' the day he sent the messages, according to an email to potential witnesses ahead of interviews and obtained by POLITICO. The questions were first reported by the Associated Press.
Investigators have asked about the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the Signal app, how extensively Hegseth used it and the veracity of messages reported by The Atlantic, according to the three people and the emails.
The IG and OSI have also questioned witnesses about whether they were ever asked to delete Signal messages off their phones, according to two of the people, which could violate federal records laws, such as the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act. These may carry civil and administrative penalties. Officials can also be sentenced to jail time and forced to pay fines if they are found guilty of removing classified information or destroying government records under similar laws.
One of the people said that OSI investigators asked by name whether Buria or Parlatore made those requests.
The Pentagon did not answer questions about probes into Hegseth or his allies at the Defense Department, but it championed the Pentagon chief's resume. 'Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has successfully reoriented the Department of Defense to put the interests of America's Warfighters and America's taxpayers first, and it has never been better positioned to execute on its mission than it is today,' Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said in an emailed statement. 'The success speaks for itself.'
An Air Force spokesperson confirmed OSI is 'conducting an investigation into allegations of unauthorized disclosures' on behalf of Hegseth's office, but declined to comment on the specifics of the probe. One of the people with knowledge of the matter said the investigators have been talking to witnesses since late April.
The investigations have intensified questions about Hegseth's leadership in the department, one of the people familiar with the probe said. POLITICO previously reported that Hegseth was deferring to U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Erik Kurilla as planning for American military strikes against Iran ramped up last month. U.S. allies have also been caught off guard by the Pentagon's abrupt pause of some weapons shipments to Ukraine.
Hegseth's closest allies maintain that he has played a key role in the strikes, pushing NATO allies to a 5 percent defense spending target, and boosting recruiting. 'None of this would have been possible without the complete unity and discipline of the OSD team and the vision and leadership of our commander-in-chief," Parnell said in the statement.
Parlatore's presence in Hegseth's inner circle has raised questions about conflicts of interest, as he has been involved in multiple legal cases opposing the U.S. government, including defending retired four-star Adm. Robert Burke against charges of alleged corruption. Parlatore, who has said he doesn't market himself to clients as a Navy reservist or a Hegseth adviser, has dismissed the notion that his lawsuits represent an issue.
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