Investigators found Hegseth had a ‘unique’ system installed so he could use his personal cellphone from inside his secure Pentagon office

https://www.businessinsider.com/hegseth-had-system-installed-for-personal-cell-in-pentagon-office-2025-12?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=insider-politics-sub-post

38 comments

  1. ***From Business Insider’s Chris Panella:***

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had his assistant install a “unique” system in his secure office at the Pentagon that allowed him to access and control his personal cellphone from inside, a new watchdog report says.

    The findings are part of Pentagon Inspector General Steven Stebbins’ investigation into Hegseth’s use of the Signal app to share sensitive information about US airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this year. The investigation concluded the secretary risked the safety of US military personnel.

    The report, released Thursday, included a section stating that Hegseth’s junior military assistant, at the request of the secretary of defense, “requested and oversaw the installation of a unique capability through which the secretary could access and control his personal cell phone from inside his secure office.”

    The tether system, for which photos of a prototype design were redacted in the report, was installed in late February 2025.

    The system mirrored and accessed the content of the personal phone and connected a keyboard, mouse, and monitor via cable to the phone, which was located outside the office.

    Within the Pentagon, especially for the officers of more senior officials, it’s not uncommon to find lockers or boxes for staff and visitors to store phones and other devices.

    Department of Defense policy states that personal and government mobile devices, such as cellphones, are prohibited from secure spaces in the Pentagon, places like Hegseth’s office. The inspector general’s report concluded it could not be determined whether the unique system installed for the secretary met requirements because it was quietly removed by late April 2025.

    [Read more about the report’s findings here.](https://www.businessinsider.com/hegseth-had-system-installed-for-personal-cell-in-pentagon-office-2025-12?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=insider-politics-sub-comment)

  3. The party of “but her emails” is sure quiet.

  4. A one-of-a-kind security breach. I can only laugh at how inept they are at this point.

  5. What is the big problem with having respect for the security of American and its people? So audacious, firmly stupid and dangerous. So if it was a mirror of his phone does that prevent any sort of surveillance being used against him? It must be a feeding frenzy out there to permanently compromise the american gov

  6. This seems incredibly insecure. This drunken clown is going to get people killed.

  7. This is actually fucking insane and the only thing crazier is no one in the current administration seems to have an issue with any of it

  8. did he ever get that $40,000 makeup studio that he so desperately wanted?

  9. I guess those lock boxes for personal cell phones are just for decoration?

  11. Was it next to his newly installed makeup installation?

  12. You mean he installed a massive security breach? That sounds an awful lot like a massive security breach.

  14. This would get the regulars in the military in loads of trouble.

  18. These people are only insulated from accountability because WE ALLOW IT. Vote in every damned election. Reach out to your elected representatives and demand that they fulfill their obligation for oversight into illegal activity. This should not be controversial, FFS. WTF, America?

  19. All these ass hats who were insisting that Hillary Clinton using her private email should be a death sentence case have no issue with stealing a pallet of classified info, hiding chats in Signal and using unsecured phones.

  20. Hey, Republicans, this is type of thing you accused Hillary of doing, remember? Are you going to hold hearings and demand accountability now as well?

  23. TIL that “unique” is a synonym for “criminal”.

  25. Opsec has no meaning to him. Impeach him and his make-up studio.

  26. If his secure office is a SCIF, which I’m pretty sure it is, there are people doing time at Leavenworth military prison for lesser offenses.

  27. What’s weird to me, as some who regularly works in a SCIF is that you can totally have a low side system in the SCIF, with access to the broad internet. It just can’t have a microphone, or have any wireless capabilities. It’s obviously monitored, so this tells me it’s not that he wants access to the internet, it’s that he wants to be able to communicate without being monitored.

  28. Probs a Russian based app since it’s pretty fucking clear who the heritage foundation works for. Good job idiot Christians

  29. The Rosenbergs were executed for less than this guy has done.

  30. If I did this with my secret clearance I would lose my job…o well rules dont apply to anyone in the Trump Admin, but they cried years about Hilary’s emails

  31. In other words, he circumvented serious security protocols within our countries most secure military headquarters?

    Sounds like someone who’s really really qualified would do.

  33. I swear this is old news? Crazy they do so many illegal things that the media can just re-report on them to give us content until we forget again

  34. I mean the entire administration is Russian plants. Who the hell is surprised by this?

  35. By personal cellphone do you mean the one with Russian surveillance capabilities?

  37. Anyone else would be arrested for espionage or at the very least lose their clearance due to such an egregious security violation.

  38. So introducing security vulnerabilities? Typical for MAGA.

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