Pete Hegseth risked putting U.S. troops in danger by sharing sensitive war plans on the Signal group chat app, according to an inspector general’s report on the Signalgate scandal.
The watchdog report was sent to lawmakers on Tuesday night, and a copy was leaked to CNN. The unclassified version of the IG report is set to be released on Thursday.
The report said Hegseth should not have used Signal and violated Pentagon policies about personal phone use for business. It also determined that senior Defense Department officials need better training on protocols, CNN’s sources said.
Hegseth and other Pentagon officials have repeatedly denied that any classified material was shared on the chat.
The defense secretary refused to sit down for an interview with investigators and would only provide written responses, according to multiple reports.
The Defense Secretary’s use of Signal to share information about the strike in Yemen with other Trump administration officials was first reported by The Atlantic in March when its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently included in the group.
The entire Signal chat released by The Atlantic showed that the defense secretary shared exact times that fighter jets would launch and when they would hit their targets.
One of his messages on Saturday March 15 included “Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch.” He then went on to include the times of the “F-18s LAUNCH,” “1st Strike Window Starts,” “More F-18s LAUNCH,” “Strike Drones on Target,” and “F-18 2nd Strike Starts.”
One of the lines included “THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier “Trigger Based” targets.“
Other top officials on the chat included Vice President JD Vance, then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
It set off a months-long investigation amid calls for Hegseth to resign.
Asked for comment on the IG report, the Pentagon pushed back but did not address any of the allegations raised.
“The Inspector General review is a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth and proves what we knew all along - no classified information was shared. This matter is resolved, and the case is closed,” claimed spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement.
The Pentagon chief survived the initial scandal in March, with Trump reportedly uneasy about firing any of his inner circle so early in his second presidency. His first term was marked by the turmoil caused by the rapid turnover in Cabinet positions.
The only fall guy was Waltz, who mistakenly added Goldberg to the chat group. The former Florida congressman was given a new job as ambassador to the United Nations as a consolation prize by Trump.
It has been a bad week for Hegseth, who was already facing pressure over a report in the Washington Post alleging he gave an order to kill everyone on board a narco boat sunk by U.S. missiles in the Caribbean on September 2.
A first strike on the boat killed nine alleged drug smugglers but left two survivors clinging to the wreckage. A second missile killed them.
Democratic lawmakers have demanded an inquiry into the strikes and have accused Hegseth of a war crime.
In a scathing statement from the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith tore into Hegseth on Wednesday. He said the report confirmed concerns about the defense secretary’s use of Signal and blasted his refusal to sit down with IG investigators to answer questions.
“This report is a damning review of an incompetent secretary of defense who is profoundly incapable of the job and clearly has no respect for or comprehension of what is required to safeguard our service members,” Smith said.
He said it confirmed “staggering violations of policy - namely that unsecured platforms were used by the secretary to boast about sensitive operational details that could have jeopardized both the mission and, more importantly, the lives of American service members tasked with carrying out Operation Rough Rider.”
