🔗 Share this article Defense Department Report Concludes Defense Secretary Put Troops in Jeopardy with Messaging App Chat. A long-awaited Pentagon review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by disclosing classified intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings. Details of the Event The online conversation in dispute contained details about a scheduled air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This discussion came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a participant. Other individuals in the group 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 Pentagon. Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not approved for transmitting sensitive material. Potential Risk to Forces The inspector general's report determined that the information circulated by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the lives of US troops if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation. However, the document also noted that Hegseth possessed the authority to declassify the material he distributed, though it was not specified whether he actually exercised that authority. Hegseth's Response The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he provided a short written response. In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared information that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and viewed the investigation to be partisan. Next Steps The finalized investigation has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public in the coming days.