A long-awaited Pentagon review has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by sharing secret intelligence in a private Signal group, as stated by a person briefed on the findings.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in question included details about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a participant.
Other individuals in the group reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials 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 internal investigation found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he shared, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority.
Secretary's Response
The informed individual said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed details that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and viewed the inspector general to be partisan.
Next Steps
The completed report has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.
