A highly anticipated Department of Defense review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by sharing secret intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in dispute contained details about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other officials in the group 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 do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not approved for transmitting classified information.
Potential Threat to Troops
The internal investigation determined that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the report also noted that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the material he shared, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Reaction
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed information that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public later this week.
