A long-awaited Pentagon report has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Details of the Incident
The chat group in dispute contained details about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This discussion was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was included 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 focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not approved for handling sensitive material.
Serious Threat to Forces
The inspector general's report found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
However, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he distributed, though it was not specified whether he actually exercised that authority.
Secretary's Reaction
The source said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be partisan.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public later this week.
