Pentagon Report Finds Defense Secretary Put Military Personnel in Danger with Messaging App Chat.
A long-awaited Pentagon report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Event
The chat group in question contained particulars about a scheduled air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion was revealed 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 did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for handling sensitive material.
Potential Risk to Troops
The inspector general's report determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the document acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
Hegseth's Reaction
The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He added that he had the right to declassify material and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been shared with Congress. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be made public later this week.
