A long-awaited Department of Defense report has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report.
Particulars of the Incident
The online conversation in dispute included particulars about a scheduled air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a participant.
Other individuals in the chat allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials do not work at the Department of Defense.
Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material.
Serious Risk to Troops
The internal investigation determined that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the lives of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.
However, the document acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually did so.
Hegseth's Reaction
The informed individual indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.
In his response, Hegseth asserted he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and considered the investigation to be partisan.
Future Actions
The completed report has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released in the coming days.
