A long-awaited Pentagon review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by sharing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Incident
The online conversation in dispute included details about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This chat was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for handling sensitive material.
Serious Risk to Forces
The internal investigation found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The source indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Next Steps
The completed report has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.
