🔗 Share this article Defense Department Investigation Finds Hegseth Placed Military Personnel in Danger with Messaging App Conversation. A highly anticipated Department of Defense review has determined that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by sharing classified intelligence in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report. Particulars of the Event The chat group in dispute contained details about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This chat was revealed after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member. Other individuals in the chat allegedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials do not work at the Pentagon. Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for handling classified information. Potential 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. However, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority. Secretary's Reaction The informed individual indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement. In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the investigation to be partisan. Future Actions The completed report has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released in the coming days.