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A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing secret information in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings.

Details of the Incident

The online conversation in question contained particulars about a planned airstrike in Yemen targeting Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member.

Other individuals in the group allegedly 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 Pentagon.

Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not authorized for handling sensitive material.

Potential Threat to Forces

The internal investigation found that the information circulated by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a foreign enemy force.

However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information 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 asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or compromised the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be partisan.

Next Steps

The finalized investigation has been shared with lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is expected to be released later this week.