A long-awaited Department of Defense report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Incident
The online conversation in question contained particulars about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser 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 publicly available communication application that was not approved for handling classified information.
Serious Risk to Troops
The internal investigation determined that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the safety of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the document acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
Hegseth's Response
The informed individual said that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Next Steps
The completed report has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be made public later this week.
