A highly anticipated Department of Defense review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The chat group in dispute contained particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This discussion came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the chat 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 officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for handling sensitive material.
Potential Threat to Troops
The internal investigation determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was secret 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 possessed the authority to declassify the material he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Reaction
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed information that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He added that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The completed report has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released in the coming days.
