A long-awaited Department of Defense report has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing secret intelligence in a private Signal group, as stated by a person briefed on the findings.
Particulars of the Incident
The chat group in question included particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This chat was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a participant.
Other officials in the group reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser 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 sensitive material.
Serious Threat to Forces
The inspector general's report found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the information he shared, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority.
Secretary's Reaction
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the inspector general to be politically motivated.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public in the coming days.
