Pentagon Report Finds Defense Secretary Put Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Messaging App Conversation.
A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing secret intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Details of the Event
The chat group in dispute contained particulars 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 individuals in the chat allegedly included 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 Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.
Potential Risk to Forces
The internal investigation determined that the information shared by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
Notably, the document acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally did so.
Hegseth'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 asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be partisan.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released in the coming days.
