The Pentagon’s inspector general is currently investigating whether aides to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were instructed to delete Signal messages possibly containing sensitive military information shared with a reporter.
This inquiry specifically involves communications related to airstrikes conducted on March 15 against Houthi targets in Yemen.
As Hegseth is set to testify before Congress next week, he is expected to face questions not only about this matter but also regarding the broader issues at the Pentagon, which have arisen following the departures of several senior aides and the ongoing internal investigations into information leaks.
Hegseth has already encountered scrutiny over the installation of an unsecured internet line in his office, circumventing established Pentagon security protocols, coupled with revelations that he had shared details about military strikes in various Signal chats.
These chats included participants such as his wife and brother, as well as President Donald Trump’s top national security officials, inadvertently including The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
When approached for comment, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson declined to discuss the ongoing investigation.
He stated that the inspector general’s office will release unclassified portions of the report to the public once it is completed.
In addition to ascertaining whether any aides were instructed to delete messages, the inspector general is also seeking information from past and current staffers who were present with Hegseth on the day of the strikes.
The inquiry aims to determine who posted sensitive information and who had access to Hegseth’s phone.
Concerns have been raised by both Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans who argue that the information Hegseth shared in the Signal chats, prior to the military jets reaching their designated targets, could have endangered the lives of the pilots involved.
Additionally, they claim that any junior military personnel involved in a similar incident would likely face termination.
Hegseth has defended his actions, insisting that none of the information shared was classified.
However, multiple current and former military officials expressed skepticism, noting that details of such specificity, particularly before a strike, would not have been permissible to share on an unsecured messaging app.
In an attempt to clarify his stance, Hegseth remarked during an interview with Fox News Channel in April that, “I said repeatedly, nobody is texting war plans.”
He continued, “I look at war plans every day.
What was shared over Signal then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordinations, for media coordinations and other things.
That’s what I’ve said from the beginning.”
President Donald Trump has publicly supported Hegseth, remarking during a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia that the defense secretary “went through a lot” but is now “doing really well.”
In light of the Signal controversy, Hegseth has reduced his public interactions with the press.
To date, he has yet to host a Pentagon press briefing, with only one briefing conducted by his spokesman since the incident occurred.
The investigation from the inspector general’s office is being conducted at the request of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, along with the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
Signal, a publicly available app known for its encrypted communications, is not officially sanctioned for transmitting classified information, despite its encryption features.
Just a day before the airstrikes against the Houthis, the Defense Department issued warnings regarding the app’s potential vulnerabilities.
The decision to target the Houthis stemmed from concerns over their ongoing campaign of violence and attacks against merchant vessels.
President Trump has noted that these attacks posed significant disruptions through the critical waterways of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which serve as key routes for energy and cargo shipments between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.
The Houthi rebels have been implicated in numerous attacks on merchant vessels, having launched more than 100 missile and drone strikes between November 2023 and January this year, leading to the sinking of two vessels and four fatalities among sailors.
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