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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth “acted within his authority” in sharing sensitive details about the Houthi attacks on Signal, Armed Forces Chairman Roger Wicker said after viewing a report from the Pentagon's Inspector General (IG).
“It is clear from the reports that the secretary acted within his authority to communicate the information in question to other Cabinet officials,” the Mississippi Republican said in a statement.
“It is also clear to me that our senior leaders need more tools available to communicate classified information in real time and in a variety of settings. I believe we have work to do to provide those tools to our national security leaders.”
U.S. officials often use Signal, an encrypted private messaging app, to communicate, including to obtain sensitive information, when they or the recipients of their messages are not near a confidential compartmented information facility (SCIF).
HEGSETH SHARED DETAILS OF STRIKES IN YEMEN IN SECOND SIGNAL CHAT: REPORT
The Defense Department inspector general's report examining the use of Signal to share classified information, particularly in planning Houthi attacks in March, will be released Thursday. (AP)
Sources familiar with the report told Fox News that it had also determined that Hegseth “created operational security risks” by sharing details of the March Houthi attacks with Cabinet officials over Signal. Their actions “could have resulted in missed U.S. mission targets and potential harm to U.S. pilots,” a source familiar with the report said.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said of the report: “This Inspector General review is a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth and proves what we knew all along: no classified information was shared. This matter is resolved and the case is closed.”
A classified version of the report was provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee and is available for committee members to view. A redacted, unclassified version will be made public on Thursday.
Trump administration officials used Signal to discuss sensitive military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen in March. Then-national security adviser Mike Waltz had created the chat, which included many of Trump's top Cabinet members, and inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic.
The IG launched an investigation in April following requests from top lawmakers on Capitol Hill. It was intended to examine whether Secretary Pete Hegseth inadequately discussed operational plans for a U.S. offensive against the Houthis in Yemen and will also review “compliance with classification and record-keeping requirements,” according to a memo from Inspector General Steven Stebbins.
Hegseth's Signal messages revealed that F-18s, Navy fighter jets, MQ-9s, drones, and Tomahawks cruise missiles would be used in the attack on the Houthis.
“1215et: F-18 LAUNCH (First Strike Package),” Hegseth said in a message notifying the chat of senior administration officials that the strike was about to begin.
“1345: F-18 'trigger-based' first strike window begins (target terrorist is at known location, so MUST ARRIVE ON TIME; also, launch of attack drones (MQ-9),” he added, according to the report.
PENTAGON WATCHDOG OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO HEGSETH'S USE OF SIGNAL TO DISCUSS HOUTI ATTACK PLANS
“1410: LAUNCH of more F-18s (second strike package)”
“1415: Drone attack on target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY FALL, pending previous 'trigger-based' targets)”
“Second strike of 1,536 F-18s begins; also, first sea-based Tomahawks are launched.”
Then-national security adviser Mike Waltz had created the chat, which included many of Trump's top Cabinet members, and inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
JUDGE FOCUSED ON TRUMP DEPORTATION CASE ORDERS PRESERVATION OF SIGNAL MESSAGES
“MORE TO FOLLOW (by timeline)”
“We are currently clean in OPSEC”, that is, in operational security.
Waltz later wrote that the mission had been a success. “The first target, their missile chief, was positively identified as he entered his girlfriend's building. It is now collapsed.”
Trump administration officials have insisted that nothing classified was shared over the chat. The report should provide clarity on that statement.
Hegseth's Signal messages revealed that F-18s, Navy fighter jets, MQ-9s, drones, and Tomahawks cruise missiles would be used in the attack on the Houthis. (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Thursday will be a controversial day for the Pentagon: Admiral Frank M. Bradley, commander of Special Operations Command, will also be on Capitol Hill to offer his account of the September 2 “double intervention” attack on suspected drug traffickers.
After an attack on a ship carrying 11 people and supposedly transporting drugs to the United States left two survivors clinging to the wreckage, Bradley ordered another to eliminate the remaining smugglers.
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Lawmakers and legal analysts have said that killing surviving shipwrecked survivors is a war crime. Bradley is briefing leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
The original Washington Post report claimed that direction came from above: Hegseth had ordered the commander to “kill them all.” But Hegseth claimed he had issued no such directive and did not witness the second attack. He said Bradley made the decision on his own, but he stands by it. US officials who spoke to the New York Times said Hegseth did not order the second attack.
