A highly anticipated Department of Defense review has concluded 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 Event
The chat group in dispute contained particulars about a scheduled air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This discussion was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other officials in the group allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not approved for handling sensitive material.
Potential Threat to Forces
The internal investigation found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
However, the report acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the information he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Reaction
The source indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the mission. He added that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with Congress. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be made public later this week.
