A highly anticipated Department of Defense review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing secret intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The chat group in dispute included particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other officials in the group reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for handling classified information.
Potential Threat to Forces
The internal investigation found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually did so.
Hegseth's Response
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and viewed the investigation to be partisan.
Next Steps
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is anticipated to be released in the coming days.
