A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing classified intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in dispute contained particulars about a scheduled air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This discussion came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other officials in the chat reportedly included Senator 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.
Potential Risk to Forces
The inspector general's report found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the safety of US service members if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally did so.
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 disclosed information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Future Actions
The finalized investigation has been provided to lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.
