A highly anticipated Pentagon review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by disclosing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in dispute contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion was revealed 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 then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.
Serious Risk to Forces
The internal investigation determined that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the information he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually did so.
Hegseth's Reaction
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have risked lives or compromised the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.
