A long-awaited Department of Defense report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in question included particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for handling classified information.
Potential Threat to Troops
The inspector general's report found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Response
The informed individual said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he provided a short written response.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released in the coming days.
