Pentagon Investigation Concludes Defense Secretary Put Troops in Jeopardy with Messaging App Conversation.
A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by disclosing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Details of the Incident
The online conversation in dispute contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This chat was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the group reportedly included 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 officials do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not approved for transmitting classified information.
Serious Threat to Forces
The inspector general's report determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Response
The informed individual said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared information that would not have risked lives or compromised the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public in the coming days.
