A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by disclosing classified information in a private Signal group, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The chat group in dispute contained particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.
Potential Threat to Troops
The internal investigation found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the document acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the information he shared, though it was unclear whether he actually exercised that authority.
Secretary's Reaction
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the mission. He added that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be made public in the coming days.
