A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Event
The chat group in question included particulars about a scheduled air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other officials in the group reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not authorized for handling sensitive material.
Serious Risk to Forces
The internal investigation determined that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
Secretary's Response
The informed individual said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he had the right to downgrade information and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Next Steps
The completed report has been provided to Congress. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be released in the coming days.
