Pentagon report: Pete Hegseth violated military policies
▼ Summary
– A Pentagon report found Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated DoD policy by using the Signal app to discuss nonpublic military information ahead of a Yemen strike.
– The investigation concluded this action risked compromising sensitive information but only recommended a review of classification procedures.
– Hegseth declined to be interviewed and stated he had only shared “nonspecific general details” about the military operation.
– Investigators had to rely partly on a journalist’s transcript, as Signal’s auto-delete function prevented a full retrieval of the chat.
– Hegseth claimed “total exoneration,” but a senator noted the report found a violation of regulations, leaving the legality of the action unclear.
A recent Pentagon investigation has concluded that former Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth failed to comply with established military policies. The inquiry centered on his use of a personal, non-secure messaging application to discuss sensitive, non-public Department of Defense information related to a planned military operation. The inspector general’s report explicitly states that Hegseth’s actions risked the potential compromise of sensitive DoD information. While the report did not allege a criminal violation, it confirmed a clear breach of departmental protocols designed to safeguard national security communications.
The situation originated when a group of former Trump administration officials created a Signal group chat to discuss a military strike in Yemen. In a significant oversight, they inadvertently added a journalist, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to the conversation. The subsequent eight-month investigation, led by the Pentagon’s Inspector General Steven Stebbins, faced hurdles due to the app’s auto-delete function. Investigators had to partially rely on the transcript Goldberg later published to piece together a full record of the discussions, as many messages from Hegseth’s personal phone were permanently erased.
In his official response to the investigation last July, Hegseth maintained that he had only shared “nonspecific general details” about the impending strike. He also declined repeated requests for an interview with investigators. The final 84-page report did not recommend disciplinary action against the former secretary. Instead, it suggested a broader review of classification procedures and noted that other recommended “corrective actions,” if properly implemented, would bring future conduct into compliance with DoD requirements.
Despite the report’s findings, Hegseth presented a different interpretation on social media. In a tweet, he claimed the document showed “No classified information. Total exoneration.” This characterization was immediately challenged by lawmakers familiar with the matter. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a member of the Armed Services Committee, clarified the report’s conclusion for reporters. He emphasized that the investigation found Hegseth “in violation of some DOD regulations,” adding that determining whether that also constituted breaking the law was a separate question that would need to be resolved. The episode highlights ongoing tensions between the convenience of modern communication tools and the stringent security protocols required for government and military operations.
(Source: The Verge)