A long-awaited Pentagon review has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing classified information in a private Signal group, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Event
The chat group in question contained particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen against Houthi militants. This chat was revealed 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 former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for transmitting classified information.
Potential Threat to Forces
The inspector general's report determined that the intelligence 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 report acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually did so.
Hegseth's Reaction
The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is expected to be made public later this week.
