🔗 Share this article Defense Department Investigation Concludes Defense Secretary Placed Troops in Danger with Signal Chat. A long-awaited Pentagon review has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated departmental policies by sharing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a person briefed on the findings. Particulars of the Incident The online conversation in dispute contained particulars about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This discussion came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member. Other officials 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 participants are not employed at the Pentagon. Signal is a publicly available communication application that was not approved for handling sensitive material. Serious Threat to Troops The internal investigation found that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been obtained by a hostile nation. However, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to downgrade the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority. Secretary's Response The informed individual said that Hegseth declined an interview by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement. In his response, Hegseth claimed he only shared details 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. Future Actions The finalized investigation has been shared with lawmakers. An unclassified version is anticipated to be made public in the coming days.