A long-awaited Pentagon review has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by disclosing classified information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in question included details about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This discussion came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a participant.
Other individuals in the group allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report did not examine 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 classified information.
Serious Risk to Forces
The internal investigation determined that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the lives of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
Notably, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually exercised that authority.
Hegseth's Reaction
The informed individual said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be released in the coming days.
