- Pentagon watchdog flagged Hegseth’s Signal use.
- Discussions involved Yemen strike details.
- Use risked exposing sensitive military information.
The news puts additional pressure on Hegseth, who is already facing criticism over US strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels that experts claim equate to extrajudicial murders. Some parliamentarians have called for Hegseth to resign or be dismissed.
"The secretary sent nonpublic DoD information identifying the quantity and strike times of manned US aircraft over hostile territory over an unapproved, unsecure network approximately two to four hours before the execution of those strikes,"
the inspector general's office said in a report, using an abbreviation for the Department of Defense.
"Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send nonpublic DoD information through Signal risks potential compromise of sensitive DoD information,"
it said.
Although Hegseth is an "original classification authority" and has the power to determine when information no longer needs to be protected, the investigation stated that his actions "created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed US mission objectives and potential harm to US pilots."
Despite declining to be interviewed for the inspector general's probe, Hegseth called the findings a "total exoneration," writing on X,
"Case closed."
The investigation began when the Atlantic magazine revealed in March that its top editor had unintentionally joined a Signal chat where officials, including Hegseth and then-national security advisor Mike Waltz, discussed upcoming strikes on Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen.
The White House argued that no confidential material was disclosed and called editor Jeffrey Goldberg a liar, but the magazine eventually published the contents the officials discussed.
Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of the military action, while Hegseth disclosed the timing of strikes hours before they occurred and details on the planes and weapons involved.
"If this information had fallen into the hands of US adversaries, Huthi forces might have been able to counter US forces or reposition personnel and assets to avoid planned US strikes,"
the watchdog report said.
At the time, Trump rejected calls for Hegseth's dismissal and placed most of the blame on Waltz, whom he eventually replaced as national security advisor by designating him as the US ambassador to the UN.
In April, US media revealed that Hegseth had set up a second Signal chat to discuss the March strikes in Yemen with individuals, including his brother and wife. However, the Pentagon chief also survived that storm and continued to hold his position.
Following the start of the Gaza conflict in 2023, the Huthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden while professing support for Palestinians.
Under the Biden administration, US forces initiated a renewed air campaign against the Huthis and began launching strikes in retaliation.
Trump's attacks on the Huthis continued until early May, when Omani intervention helped negotiate a ceasefire.
A September 2 incident in which US forces executed a follow-up strike on the wreckage of a vessel that had already been hit, allegedly killing two survivors, has also drawn more attention to Hegseth recently.
The Pentagon and the White House have both attempted to disassociate Hegseth from that choice, which some US senators have claimed may constitute a war crime, by placing the blame on the admiral who was in charge of the operation.
What disciplinary steps can be taken against a defense secretary?
Corrections against the U.S. Defense Secretary, similar to Pete Hegseth, are limited compared to ordinary workers due to the political and appointed nature of the position. The Secretary of Defense is a political nominee verified by the Senate and serves at the pleasure of the President; junking generally requires presidential action or abdication.
Formal correctional conduct within the Department of Defense (e.g., rebuke, suspense) don't generally apply to the Secretary, as these apply to mercenary workers and military labor under standard labor force rules. Responsibility mechanisms include congressional oversight, examinations by the Inspector General, and implicit indictment by Congress for misconduct or abuse of power.
The Secretary can be subject to examinations by the Office of Inspector General or other agencies with recommendations that may lead to public rebuke or recommendations to the President.