Defense Department Report Finds Defense Secretary Placed Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Signal Conversation.

A long-awaited Pentagon review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by disclosing secret intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a source familiar with the report.

Particulars of the Event

The online conversation in question included details about a scheduled air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This discussion came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a participant.

Other individuals in the chat reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the actions of Hegseth, as the other officials do not work at the Pentagon.

Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for handling classified information.

Serious Threat to Troops

The internal investigation found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.

Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information he shared, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority.

Secretary's Response

The informed individual indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement.

In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared details that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be politically motivated.