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A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing secret intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a person briefed on the findings.

Details of the Incident

The online conversation in dispute included particulars about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This discussion came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a participant.

Other officials in the group reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Department of Defense.

Signal is a commercially offered messaging app that was not approved for handling classified information.

Serious Threat to Troops

The internal investigation determined that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.

However, the document acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was not specified whether he formally exercised that authority.

Hegseth's Reaction

The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.

In his response, Hegseth claimed he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or compromised the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be partisan.

Next Steps

The finalized investigation has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released later this week.