Defense Department Investigation Concludes Hegseth Placed Military Personnel in Danger with Messaging App Chat.
A long-awaited Pentagon report has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by sharing secret intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The chat group in dispute contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a participant.
Other officials in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor 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 commercially offered messaging app that was not authorized for handling sensitive material.
Serious Risk to Troops
The inspector general's report determined that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually did so.
Secretary's Response
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be made public in the coming days.
