“Created a risk”: IG report says Hegseth’s use of Signal could have put troops in harm’s way
An inspector general document has concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated Pentagon agenda and risked the safety of U S servicemembers by sharing sensitive operational details over the encrypted messaging app Signal The review stems from an episode earlier this year in which an editor from The Atlantic was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat where Hegseth and other senior administration leaders were discussing upcoming and ongoing U S strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen The watchdog noted that Hegseth declined to be interviewed and provided only a limited set of messages forcing investigators to rely partly on screenshots published earlier in the press In a written response to the investigators Hegseth argued that he had the authority to declassify the information he shared and suggested the probe was politically motivated Related Pete Hegseth s warrior ethos is plain old cowardice But investigators identified that Hegseth sent information about the planned strikes including timing target details and aircraft movements to two Signal groups one of which included his wife and brother The assessment states that although the worst-case scenario was ultimately avoided the Secretary s actions created a menace to operational safeguard that could have resulted in failed U S mission objectives and probable harm to U S pilots The IG also concluded that Hegseth s use of a personal phone for official business violated departmental rules Start your day with essential news from Salon Sign up for our free morning newsletter Crash Class Pentagon leadership however hurriedly moved to cast the findings in a different light Sean Parnell Assistant to the Secretary for Inhabitants Affairs called the review a TOTAL exoneration insisting that no classified information had been compromised Democratic members of Congress did not agree This summary 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 amenity members declared Rep Adam Smith D-Wash the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee in a announcement It confirms staggering violations of plan 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 facility members tasked with carrying out Operation Rough Rider Sen Mark Kelly stated reporters it was clear he shouldn t have been using an unofficial unsecured app to transmit this kind of information The assessment lands at a moment when Hegseth is already under scrutiny for a series of controversies Largest part in recent days he has faced questions about his disclosed involvement in a double-tap strike in the Caribbean that resulted in a second attack on survivors an happening military experts have warned could constitute a war crime His tenure has also been marked by sweeping personnel purges and intense criticism of his management style Read more about this topic The majority chilling lesson of Signalgate Breakdown in trust Hegseth s Pentagon White House drift apart amid leaks research Signalgate resets the standard of scrutiny for Gang Trump The post Created a jeopardy IG assessment says Hegseth s use of Signal could have put troops in harm s way appeared first on Salon com
