A long-awaited Pentagon review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by sharing classified intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The chat group in dispute contained details about a scheduled air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a participant.
Other officials in the chat reportedly included 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 Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for handling classified information.
Serious Threat to Forces
The internal investigation determined that the information shared by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered 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 downgrade the material he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
Secretary's Response
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He added 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 lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be released later this week.
