A long-awaited Department of Defense report has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The chat group in dispute contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the chat reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.
Potential Threat to Troops
The inspector general's report determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The informed individual said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.
