Defense Department Report Concludes Hegseth Placed Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Signal Conversation.
A highly anticipated Pentagon review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by disclosing secret intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in dispute included particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not authorized for transmitting sensitive material.
Serious Threat to Troops
The inspector general's report found that the information shared by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
Notably, the document acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The source said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or compromised the mission. He added that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be released in the coming days.
