Defense Department Report Finds Defense Secretary Put Troops in Jeopardy with Messaging App Conversation.
A long-awaited Pentagon report has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by disclosing secret intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Incident
The chat group in question included details about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the group reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not approved for handling sensitive material.
Potential Risk to Troops
The inspector general's report determined that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
Hegseth's Response
The source said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared details that would not have risked lives or compromised the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released later this week.
