Defense Department Report Finds Defense Secretary Put Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Messaging App Conversation.

A highly anticipated Pentagon review has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified information in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.

Particulars of the Event

The online conversation in question included particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was added as a participant.

Other officials in the group reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Department of Defense.

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

Serious Risk to Troops

The internal investigation found that the intelligence shared by Hegseth was secret and posed a risk to the safety of US troops if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force.

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

Hegseth's Response

The informed individual said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a short written response.

In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the mission. He added that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the inspector general to be partisan.

Next Steps

The finalized investigation has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public in the coming days.