Pentagon watchdog launches investigation into Hegseth’s use of Signal

Thursday

Jodie Hawkins Senior Producer

By Jodie Hawkins (Senior Producer)

The Defense Department is reviewing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app. The investigation will include compliance with protocol, classification, and records retention requirements.
The review was prompted by a request from the Senate Armed Services Committee after The Atlantic reported that Hegseth and others used Signal to discuss military actions 30 minutes before the operation.
Officials have stated that the information shared was not classified, while Hegseth’s spokesperson denied any breach of security protocols.

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The Defense Department announced it will review Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the messaging app Signal while discussing last month’s military strikes in Yemen. Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins wrote a letter to Hegseth Thursday, April 3, reported by The Associated Press, saying the goal of this investigation will be to determine if Hegseth and other Pentagon personnel complied with protocol while using the commercial messaging app.

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According to the letter, the investigation will also assess whether Hegseth complied with classification and records retention requirements.

The review will take place in both Washington, D.C., and at the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

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What led to the review?

The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee requested that Stebbins conduct a review after The Atlantic reported last month that Hegseth and other national security officials used Signal to discuss military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

Texts obtained by The Atlantic revealed that Hegseth shared information with a group chat that included the vice president and the national security adviser just 30 minutes before the operation began. This occurrence happened after the magazine’s editor-in-chief was inadvertently added to the chat.

What has the Trump administration said about the Signal chat?

Top officials, including C.I.A. Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tusli Gabbard, said the information shared in those messages was not classified.

Hegseth’s spokesperson Sean Parnell also denied that any classified information was shared.

“The Secretary was merely updating the group on a plan that was underway and had already been briefed through official channels. The American people see through the Atlantic’s pathetic attempts to distract from President Trump’s national security agenda,”Parnell said in a statement last week.

Stebbins was appointed acting inspector general after Trump dismissed Robert Storch, along with more than a dozen other inspectors general at federal agencies, in the first weeks of his administration.