A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by disclosing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a person briefed on the findings.
Particulars of the Event
The online conversation in dispute contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This discussion came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other officials in the chat allegedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material.
Potential Risk to Forces
The inspector general's report determined that the information shared by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually did so.
Secretary's Reaction
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he provided a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed information that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released in the coming days.
