Defense Department Investigation Concludes Hegseth Placed Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Signal Conversation.
A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing classified information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in question included details about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other officials in the group reportedly 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 publicly available communication application that was not approved for handling sensitive material.
Potential Threat to Troops
The inspector general's report determined that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the lives of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
However, the document acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the material he distributed, though it was not specified whether he actually did so.
Secretary's Response
The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be made public later this week.