A long-awaited Pentagon report has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing classified information 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 airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This chat was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the group reportedly 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 participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for transmitting classified information.
Serious Threat to Forces
The internal investigation found that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he shared, though it was unclear whether he formally did so.
Hegseth's Reaction
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated.
Next Steps
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released in the coming days.
