A highly anticipated Pentagon report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing classified intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in dispute included details about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen against Houthi militants. This discussion was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other officials in the chat allegedly included 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 officials do not work at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for transmitting sensitive material.
Potential Threat to Forces
The inspector general's report determined that the information shared by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
However, the report acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the information he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Response
The source said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released in the coming days.
