đź”— Share this article Defense Department Report Finds Hegseth Placed Military Personnel in Danger with Messaging App Conversation. A highly anticipated Department of Defense report has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth breached departmental policies by disclosing secret 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 planned airstrike in Yemen against Houthi fighters. This chat came to light after a reporter for the Atlantic was included as a member. Other individuals in the group reportedly included JD Vance, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and former security advisor Mike Waltz. The report did not examine the conduct of Hegseth, as the other participants are not employed at the Department of Defense. Signal is a publicly available messaging app that was not approved for transmitting classified information. Potential Threat to Forces The internal investigation found that the intelligence circulated by Hegseth was classified and posed a risk to the safety of US service members if it had been intercepted by a hostile nation. However, the document also noted that Hegseth had the ability to declassify the material he distributed, though it was unclear whether he actually did so. Secretary's Reaction The source said that Hegseth refused to be interviewed by the inspector general. Instead, he submitted a short written response. In his statement, Hegseth asserted he only shared information that would not have risked lives or jeopardized the mission. He further stated that he had the right to declassify material and viewed the inspector general to be politically motivated. Future Actions The completed report has been shared with Congress. An unclassified version is anticipated to be released in the coming days.