Defense Department Investigation Concludes Defense Secretary Put Troops in Jeopardy with Messaging App Conversation.

A long-awaited Pentagon report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified information in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.

Particulars of the Incident

The chat group in question contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat 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 focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.

Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not approved for handling classified information.

Serious Threat to Forces

The internal investigation found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the safety of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.

Notably, the document acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the information he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually did so.

Hegseth's Response

The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.

In his response, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He added that he had the right to declassify material and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.