A long-awaited Pentagon review has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing classified information in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in dispute contained details about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not authorized for transmitting sensitive material.
Serious Risk to Troops
The inspector general's report found that the information shared by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the document acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually did so.
Hegseth's Response
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or compromised the mission. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Next Steps
The completed report has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be made public later this week.
