A highly anticipated Pentagon report has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing classified information in a private Signal group, as stated by a person briefed on the findings.
Details of the Incident
The chat group in question contained details about a scheduled air attack in Yemen targeting 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 report focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material.
Potential Risk to Forces
The inspector general's report found that the information shared by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Response
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he provided a short written response.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only shared details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been provided to Congress. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be made public in the coming days.
