A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified information in a private Signal group, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Incident
The chat group in question contained particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen against Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added 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 participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material.
Serious Threat to Forces
The inspector general's report determined that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he shared, though it was unclear whether he formally did so.
Hegseth's Reaction
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Next Steps
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be made public later this week.
