Pentagon Investigation Finds Defense Secretary Put Troops in Jeopardy with Signal Conversation.
A highly anticipated Department of Defense review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by sharing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Incident
The online conversation in dispute contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the group allegedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.
Potential Risk to Forces
The internal investigation determined 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.
Notably, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally did so.
Secretary's Response
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the mission. He added that he had the right to declassify material and viewed the investigation to be partisan.
Next Steps
The completed report has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released in the coming days.
