A long-awaited Department of Defense review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Event
The chat group in dispute contained particulars about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other officials in the group allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material.
Potential Risk to Troops
The internal investigation 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 hostile nation.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he shared, though it was unclear whether he formally did so.
Hegseth's Reaction
The source indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be made public in the coming days.
