🔗 Share this article Pentagon Report Concludes Hegseth Put Troops in Jeopardy with Signal Conversation. A long-awaited Department of Defense review has concluded that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth breached official protocols by disclosing secret intelligence in a private Signal group, according to a person briefed on the findings. Particulars of the Event The chat group in dispute contained details about a planned air attack in Yemen against Houthi militants. This chat came to light after a journalist for the Atlantic was added as a member. Other officials in the group reportedly included Senator 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 officials do not work at the Pentagon. Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not authorized for handling sensitive material. Serious Risk to Troops The internal investigation found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was secret and could have endangered the safety of US troops if it had been obtained by a hostile nation. Notably, the report acknowledged that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the information he shared, though it was unclear whether he actually exercised that authority. Secretary's Reaction The informed individual said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he provided a short written response. In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only disclosed details that would not have risked lives or compromised the operation. He added that he possessed the authority to downgrade information and viewed the investigation to be politically motivated. Future Actions The finalized investigation has been provided to Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released later this week.