A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by disclosing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The chat group in dispute included particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other officials in the group allegedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for transmitting sensitive material.
Potential Threat to Troops
The inspector general's report determined that the information shared by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information he shared, though it was unclear whether he actually did so.
Secretary's Reaction
The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public later this week.
