Pentagon inspector general report criticizes Pete Hegseth for using messaging app to discuss attack on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth put military personnel and the American mission at risk by disclosing, in a chat on the messaging app Signal, confidential information about an attack on Houthi militias in Yemen, according to a report from the Pentagon watchdog.
The information was released by the American press, which cites people familiar with the results of the Pentagon inspector general’s investigation, which have not yet been publicly released.
What was found increases pressure on the former Fox News presenter, who, in another case, is being accused of having given an order to kill shipwrecks from a vessel that had been attacked by the USA in the Caribbean Sea on September 2nd.
Hegseth did not violate classification rules with the Signal chat, according to the report, because, as head of the Pentagon, he has the authority to declassify information. But the commercial app could not have been used to discuss the planned attacks, the report states, as such sensitive information could have endangered the lives of American soldiers and the mission itself if it were intercepted.
Hegseth refused to grant an interview to the inspector general, said the people interviewed, citing the report. Instead, he provided written responses. He also only provided a small number of his Signal messages for review. This meant the investigation had to rely on screenshots published by The Atlantic magazine, whose editor-in-chief was accidentally added to the chat, according to sources.
The document prepared by the Pentagon inspector general’s office was delivered to Congress on Tuesday night (12/02). A partially redacted version of the report is expected to be released publicly later this week, possibly on Thursday.
Trump maintains support for Hegseth
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the review confirms the Trump administration’s statements that “no classified information was leaked and operational security was not compromised.” “President Trump remains supportive of Secretary Hegseth,” Leavitt said Wednesday.
In a social media post Wednesday night, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the inspection result “a TOTAL acquittal of Secretary Hegseth.” According to him, the matter has been resolved and the case closed.
Hegseth discussed attacks in Yemen
Hegseth’s use of the commercial messaging app came to light when The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a Signal chat by then-national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Signal is encrypted, but it is not part of the Department of Defense’s secure communications network and is not authorized for use for sensitive information.
The chat included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, among others. They discussed the March 15 military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The chat contained messages in which Hegseth revealed the time of the attacks hours before they took place and information about the aircraft and missiles involved. Waltz sent real-time information about the consequences of military action.
It later emerged that Hegseth had created a second Signal chat with 13 people, including his wife and brother, where he shared similar details about the same attack.
The Atlantic magazine reported that Waltz had set some of the Signal messages to disappear after a week and others after four, raising questions about whether federal records law was violated.
Trump rejected calls for Hegseth to resign and placed most of the blame on Waltz, whom he eventually replaced as national security adviser, naming him U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Originally published by DW on 12/04/2025
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/12/04/chefe-do-pentagono-teria-arriscado-tropas-ao-usar-signal/
