Defense Department Report Finds Defense Secretary Placed Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Messaging App Chat.

A highly anticipated Department of Defense review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by sharing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.

Particulars of the Event

The chat group in dispute included details about a scheduled airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member.

Other individuals in the group reportedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Pentagon.

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

Serious Risk to Forces

The internal investigation found that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.

Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the material he shared, though it was unclear whether he actually exercised that authority.

Hegseth's Reaction

The informed individual indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response.

In his response, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed information that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated.

Future Actions

The finalized investigation has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.