A highly anticipated Pentagon review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in question contained details about a scheduled air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other officials in the chat reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for transmitting sensitive material.
Potential Risk to Forces
The internal investigation found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually did so.
Hegseth's Reaction
The source indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be made public later this week.
