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, as stated by a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in dispute contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This chat was revealed after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a participant.
Other individuals in the group allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material.
Serious Risk to Forces
The inspector general's report found that the information circulated by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.
However, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material 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 inspector general. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and considered the inspector general to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released in the coming days.
