🔗 Share this article Pentagon Investigation Concludes Defense Secretary Placed Troops in Danger with Signal Conversation. A highly anticipated Pentagon review has determined that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing classified information in a Signal messaging chat, as stated by a source familiar with the report. Particulars of the Event The chat group in question contained details about a scheduled air attack in Yemen targeting Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member. Other officials in the chat allegedly included Senator JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. The investigation did not examine the actions of Hegseth, as the other participants do not work at the Pentagon. Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not authorized for handling classified information. Serious Threat to Troops The inspector general's report found that the information circulated by Hegseth was classified and could have endangered the lives of US service members if it had been intercepted by a foreign enemy force. However, the report also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he formally exercised that authority. Hegseth's Reaction The source indicated that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a brief written statement. In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have endangered personnel or compromised the operation. He further stated that he possessed the authority to declassify material and considered the inspector general to be partisan. Next Steps The finalized investigation has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is expected to be released later this week.