A highly anticipated Pentagon review has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in question contained details about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a participant.
Other officials in the group allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials do not work at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.
Potential Threat to Troops
The internal investigation found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the material he shared, though it was unclear whether he actually exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Response
The informed individual said that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and viewed the inspector general to be partisan.
Next Steps
The completed report has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.
