WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. troops at risk when he oversaw and sent sensitive information on an unsecure messaging platform earlier this year, according to a report by the Pentagon watchdog that was released on Thursday.
The long-awaited report says that Hegseth put the entire mission at risk by detailing key operational details in a Signal group chat, which inadvertently included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Those mistakes could have put troops at risk during the U.S. strike in Yemen on March 15 as the details were transmitted over an “unapproved, unsecure network.”
“The Secretary sent nonpublic (Defense) information identifying the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile territory over an unapproved, unsecure network approximately 2 to 4 hours before the execution of those strikes,” the report states. “Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send nonpublic DoD information through Signal risks potential compromise of sensitive DoD information, which could cause harm to DoD personnel and mission objectives.”
The report acknowledges that Hegseth holds the authority to determine the classification level of information that is shared. However, the Defense secretary used the messaging app on his personal phone, which violates DOD policy.
While Hegseth and his team have been adamant that the group chat did not harm the mission’s success, the report concluded: “If this information had fallen into the hands of U.S. adversaries, Houthi forces might have been able to counter U.S. forces or reposition personnel and assets to avoid planned U.S. strikes.”
Still, Hegseth is touting his innocence after the release of the report — claiming it’s a “total exoneration.”
“Case closed,” he wrote in a post on X. “Houthis bombed into submission. Thank you for your attention to this IG report.”
However, some Republicans disagree with that assessment.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., rejected Hegseth’s characterization, telling CNN that “no one can rationalize that as an exoneration.”
“At some point, just take the learning experience and move on,” Tillis said.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., similarly criticized Hegseth’s handling of the situation and for what he views as a lack of accountability.
“All he had to do was say, ‘I take responsibility, it was my fault,’” Bacon said. “I feel like that would have cleared it up. But he doesn’t have the ability to take responsibility, in my view.”
Some Democrats have suggested introducing articles of impeachment against Hegseth, but those efforts are unlikely to garner much momentum in the Republican-led Congress.