A long-awaited Department of Defense review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in question included details about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for transmitting sensitive material.
Serious Risk to Troops
The inspector general's report found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the document acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
Secretary's Reaction
The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he had the right to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is anticipated to be released later this week.
