Defense Department Investigation Finds Hegseth Placed Military Personnel in Danger with Signal Chat.
A highly anticipated Pentagon report has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by disclosing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The chat group in dispute included details about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a participant.
Other individuals in the group reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not authorized for handling classified information.
Serious Threat to Forces
The internal investigation found 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 report acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Reaction
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public in the coming days.
