Pentagon Investigation Finds Hegseth Put Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Signal Conversation.
A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Incident
The online conversation in question included particulars about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a participant.
Other individuals in the group allegedly 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 Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for handling sensitive material.
Serious Threat to Troops
The internal investigation found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally did so.
Secretary's Reaction
The informed individual said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is anticipated to be released later this week.