A long-awaited Department of Defense review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in dispute included details about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This chat was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a participant.
Other officials in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material.
Potential Threat to Troops
The inspector general's report determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US service members if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the information he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the inspector general to be partisan.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public later this week.
