A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified information in a private Signal group, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Details of the Event
The online conversation in question included particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This discussion came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.
Other individuals in the chat allegedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for handling classified information.
Serious Risk to Forces
The internal investigation 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.
Notably, the document acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally did so.
Hegseth's Response
The source said that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the operation. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be politically motivated.
Next Steps
The finalized investigation has been shared with lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be released later this week.
