🔗 Share this article Pentagon Investigation Finds Defense Secretary Put Military Personnel in Danger with Messaging App Conversation. A highly anticipated Pentagon report has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated official protocols by sharing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, according to a source familiar with the report. Particulars of the Incident The chat group in question contained details about a scheduled air attack in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member. Other individuals in the group reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The investigation focused solely on the conduct of Hegseth, as the other officials are not employed at the Department of Defense. Signal is a commercially offered communication application that was not approved for handling sensitive material. Potential Threat to Troops The inspector general's report determined that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force. Notably, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally did so. Hegseth's Reaction The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the investigators. Instead, he submitted a short written response. In his statement, Hegseth claimed he only shared details that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the mission. He further stated that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated. Next Steps The completed report has been shared with lawmakers. An publicly releasable copy is anticipated to be released later this week.