unclassified

But it added: "DoW information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorising official before it is released, even if it is unclassified".

Sir Jonathan was aware of the full version of this elaborate false account, but it was absent from the unclassified version given to the court and the BBC.

The government said the database where those records are held – known as Merlin – "has not been declassified" and "contains information ranging from unclassified to Top Secret, with the majority being unclassified".

The senators said the Signal scandal "raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information".

The Trump administration has downplayed the unclassified Signal messages, in which Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and others shared potentially classified details about an upcoming attack on Yemen.