A long-awaited Pentagon report has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by sharing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Incident
The chat group in dispute contained details about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a participant.
Other officials in the group reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.
Serious Risk to Forces
The internal investigation found that the information shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the safety of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he shared, though it was unclear whether he actually did so.
Hegseth's Response
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be partisan.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be released later this week.
