National Defense

Pentagon IG Finds Hegseth ‘Signalgate’ Messages Violated DOD Policy

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War Secretary Pete Hegseth did not comply with Pentagon regulations in disclosing operational details on strikes against Houthi targets in March via the Signal app on his personal phone, the Department of Defense Inspector General (DoDIG) concluded in a report released Thursday.

Investigators determined Hegseth improperly handled sensitive, nonpublic, operational information using unauthorized apps and insecure devices in violation of policy and at risk of “potential compromise.” The report noted Hegseth had determined the information did not require classification, which is within his authority to decide.

“We concluded that the Secretary sent sensitive, nonpublic, operational information that he determined did not require classification over the Signal chat on his personal cell phone,” the report reads. “The Secretary is the head original classification authority in the DoD based on Executive Order 13526 and DoD Manual 5200.45 and holds the authority to determine the required classification level of all DoD information he communicates.”

“However, because the Secretary indicated that he used the Signal application on his personal cell phone to send nonpublic DoD information, we concluded that the Secretary’s actions did not comply with DoD Instruction 8170.01, which prohibits using a personal device for official business and using a nonapproved commercially available messaging application to send nonpublic DoD information,” the report continued.

Former National Security Advisor and now-United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz inadvertently added The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat in March intended for discussions surrounding strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Hegseth shared certain aspects of the planning regarding the strikes with the members, with the times Hegseth listed in the chat corresponding to the subsequent attacks.

The Pentagon denied Wednesday that any classified information was shared in the chat, while saying the report was a “total exoneration” of Hegseth’s conduct.

Hegseth has broad authority to deem the classification of information in the Pentagon, which grants him original classification authority at the Department. Hegseth determined the information he sent in the group chat were “non-specific general details” and was safe to transmit in the group chat.

Moreover, Hegseth did not turn over his cellphone to investigators, according to the report.

The DoDIG determined in an accompanying report on policy of using messaging services like Signal for official business that “DoD personnel’s use of non-DoD-controlled electronic messaging systems may have jeopardized DoD operations or missions.”

The Houthi strikes went ahead without incident despite Goldberg’s presence in the chat, as Goldberg opted to publish his findings after the strikes took place. The Houthi rebels had a large hand in significantly disrupting the crucial Red Sea international shipping route.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.