A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by disclosing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Particulars of the Incident
The chat group in question included details about a planned airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other officials in the group reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not authorized for handling sensitive material.
Potential Risk to Forces
The internal investigation determined that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually exercised that authority.
Secretary's Reaction
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared information that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be partisan.
Next Steps
The completed report has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.
