How many times do I have to say this?
You can't retroactively declassify information. It does not matter what they say now. The information that Pete Hegseth disclosed on the Signal group chat was classified at the time he revealed it on March 11th .... and of course, it would be classified info. It discussed a pending military operation in details.
Hegseth could have declassified it at the time, if he had announced to the group either before or during the chat that his information was unclassified, but he didn't do that. It's a good thing he didn't do that too, because then Goldberg would have been at liberty to put it in the internet for the whole world to see.
There is no defense for this. Pete Hegseth disclosed classified information on an unauthorized mobile app to someone without the necessary security clearance to receive it. PERIOD.