Pentagon’s Signalgate report finds Pete Hegseth violated military policies
In a significant development surrounding the misuse of communication channels within the Department of Defense, the Pentagon’s inspector general has released an extensive report detailing a troubling incident involving former Trump administration officials. The investigation, led by Steven Stebbins, focused on a Signal group chat created to discuss classified military intelligence in relation to a military strike in Yemen. This chat inadvertently included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of *The Atlantic*, which raised serious concerns about the handling of sensitive information. The report concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated Department of Defense (DoD) policies by using a non-approved messaging application to transmit nonpublic information, thereby risking the potential compromise of sensitive military data.
The findings of the 84-page report, which is publicly accessible, indicate that while Hegseth shared only “nonspecific general details” about the military operation, his actions nonetheless breached established protocols. Notably, the investigation faced challenges in retrieving complete chat records due to the auto-delete function of the Signal app, which rendered many messages irretrievable. Consequently, the investigation relied on partial transcripts and information shared publicly by *The Atlantic* to piece together the events. Despite the serious nature of the violations, the report recommended only a review of classification procedures and suggested that corrective actions be implemented to ensure compliance with DoD requirements moving forward.
In the aftermath of the report’s release, Hegseth took to social media, claiming that the findings amounted to “total exoneration” as no classified information was disclosed. However, this assertion has been met with skepticism, particularly from figures such as Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who highlighted that the report explicitly noted Hegseth’s violations of DoD regulations. This incident raises broader questions about the security protocols in place for handling sensitive military communications and the implications of using unapproved platforms for official discussions. As the DoD considers the recommended corrective measures, the focus will remain on ensuring that such breaches do not occur in the future, safeguarding national security interests.
It has been months since a group of Trump administration officials
put together a Signal group chat
to discuss classified military intelligence ahead of a military strike in Yemen while inadvertently adding a journalist, and now the Pentagon’s inspector general has released its report on the mess. The results of Steven Stebbins’ eight-month-long investigation found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not comply with DoD policies by “using a nonapproved commercially available messaging application to send nonpublic DoD information.”
It also said that he risked potential compromise of “sensitive DoD information” as a result, but only recommended a review of classification procedures, and said that another report recommended “corrective actions” that, if implemented and adhered to, would comply with the department’s requirements.
The 84-page report,
available in full here
, shows that Hegseth himself responded to the investigation with a statement in July that said he’d shared “nonspecific general details” about the strike, and declined interview requests.
The investigation also had to rely on reporting from the journalist added to the chat,
The Atlantic
editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg, as its auto-delete function only made it possible for them to retrieve some of the discussions.
We requested that the DoD provide a copy of the Secretary’s communications on Signal on or about
March 15, 2025. The DoD provided a partial copy of messages from the Secretary’s personal cell phone,
including some messages that The Atlantic previously reported, but other messages had auto-deleted because
of chat settings. Therefore, we had to rely in part on the transcript of the chat The Atlantic posted publicly (“Houthi PC Small Group”) for a full record.
In a
tweet
posted Wednesday evening, Hegseth claimed the report showed “No classified information. Total exoneration.” However, Armed Services Committee member Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
told reporters today
that “It said he was in violation of some DOD regulations…so whether that’s breaking the law, you got to figure that out.”
