A long-awaited Department of Defense report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Incident
The online conversation in question contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a participant.
Other officials in the chat allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not approved for handling classified information.
Serious Threat to Forces
The internal investigation found that the information shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the information he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed information that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and viewed the inspector general to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been provided to Congress. An publicly releasable copy is anticipated to be released later this week.
