A long-awaited Department of Defense report has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing secret intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Details of the Incident
The chat group in dispute included details 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 focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Pentagon.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not approved for handling sensitive material.
Serious Risk to Forces
The internal investigation determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He added that he had the right to declassify material and viewed the inspector general to be partisan.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be made public in the coming days.
