Pentagon Investigation Finds Defense Secretary Placed Military Personnel in Danger with Messaging App Chat.
A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in dispute included particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the group allegedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for handling classified information.
Serious Threat to Troops
The internal investigation determined that the information shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
However, the document acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
Hegseth's Response
The source indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the mission. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the inspector general to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with Congress. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be made public later this week.
