Pentagon Investigation Finds Defense Secretary Put Troops in Danger with Signal Chat.
A highly anticipated Pentagon report has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing classified information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Event
The chat group in dispute contained particulars about a scheduled air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not approved for transmitting classified information.
Potential Threat to Forces
The inspector general's report determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
Secretary's Response
The source said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is anticipated to be released later this week.