🔗 Share this article Pentagon Investigation Concludes Defense Secretary Placed Military Personnel in Jeopardy with Signal Conversation. A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by disclosing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings. Particulars of the Event The chat group in question included particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was included as a participant. Other individuals in the chat allegedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials do not work at the Department of Defense. Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material. Serious Risk to Forces The inspector general's report found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force. Notably, the document acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he shared, though it was not specified whether he actually did so. Secretary's Reaction The source indicated that Hegseth declined an interview by the investigators. Instead, he provided a brief written statement. In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the operation. He further stated that he had the right to downgrade information and viewed the inspector general to be partisan. Future Actions The finalized investigation has been shared with lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be made public in the coming days.