A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by disclosing secret intelligence in a private Signal group, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The chat group in question contained details about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not authorized for handling sensitive material.
Potential Threat to Troops
The internal investigation found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually exercised that authority.
Secretary's Reaction
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or compromised the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been provided to Congress. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be made public later this week.
