Pentagon Report Finds Defense Secretary Placed Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Signal Conversation.
A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in question included details about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member.
Other individuals in the group allegedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not approved for handling classified information.
Potential Threat to Forces
The internal investigation determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the safety of US service members if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been provided to Congress. An publicly releasable copy is anticipated to be released in the coming days.
