A highly anticipated Pentagon review has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in question contained details about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This discussion came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on 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.
Potential Threat to Troops
The internal investigation found that the information shared by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
Notably, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the mission. He added that he possessed the authority to declassify material and viewed the inspector general to be partisan.
Next Steps
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be made public later this week.
