A long-awaited Pentagon report has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in question contained particulars about a scheduled air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Pentagon.
Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not approved for handling classified information.
Serious Risk to Troops
The inspector general's report found that the information shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the lives of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually did so.
Hegseth's Response
The source indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He further stated that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released in the coming days.
