Defense Department Report Finds Hegseth Placed Troops in Jeopardy with Signal Chat.

A highly anticipated Pentagon review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing secret information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a person briefed on the findings.

Particulars of the Event

The online conversation in dispute contained particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a member.

Other officials in the group allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon.

Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material.

Potential Threat to Troops

The internal investigation determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the safety of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation.

However, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually exercised that authority.

Secretary's Reaction

The source indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a brief written statement.

In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the operation. He added that he had the right to declassify material and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated.

Future Actions

The completed report has been provided to Congress. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be released in the coming days.