Washington — The Pentagon’s internal watchdog determined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth jeopardized sensitive military information and could have endangered American service members when he shared certain details about U.S. military operations in Yemen in a private Signal group chat earlier this year, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the report’s findings.
The individuals who spoke to CBS News said the report found the former Fox News host-turned-defense secretary violated Defense Department policies when he used his personal device for official business to transmit sensitive U.S. military information to other top Trump officials and the editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine. The two sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the unreleased report.
A classified version of the inspector general’s report was sent to Congress on Tuesday. An unredacted version is expected to be released Thursday. CNN first reported the defense inspector general’s findings.
In a statement Wednesday, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the 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.”
Hegseth also called the review a “total exoneration,” writing on X: “No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission. Thank you for your attention to this IG report.”
The sources said the IG report confirmed what CBS News had reported in July — that key information posted by Hegseth in the encrypted Signal chat group was derived from a classified email marked “SECRET//NOFORN.” CBS News reported that information was shared by Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, who at the time was the commander of U.S. Central Command, the primary combatant unit overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia.
The “SECRET” designation means the information was classified, and the disclosure of the information without proper declassification could potentially cause serious damage to national security and jeopardize the safety of service members, according to the U.S. government.
The “NOFORN” label means the information can only be disseminated to U.S. agencies and individuals, excluding foreign nationals and even close U.S. allies.
The sources familiar with the inspector general’s investigation said the report found that if the information had been intercepted by a foreign adversary, it would have clearly endangered U.S. service members and the mission.
The report does not address the question of whether Hegseth declassified the information before it was posted in a Signal chat group that included other top Trump officials, the sources said. That group chat also inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, who broke the story in March.
A day after the Signal chat story was published by The Atlantic, U.S. Africa Command, in coordination with the government of Somalia, conducted multiple airstrikes against affiliates of the Islamic State terrorist organization. A press release said the airstrikes occurred near the Golis Mountains in Somalia and that multiple “ISIS-Somalia operatives were killed.”
After multiple Trump administration officials claimed the information in the Signal chat group was unclassified, CBS News filed a request in March under the Freedom of Information Act to U.S. Africa Command to see if similar information deemed unclassified by Hegseth from the Yemen airstrike could be released regarding the March 25 airstrike on the ISIS operatives in Somalia.
CBS News requested information about the airstrike that was similar to the information appearing in the Signal chat group about the strikes and that Trump intelligence officials had said was unclassified.
In early September, CBS News received a response from U.S. Africa Command, which arrived at the same conclusion as the Pentagon inspector general about the Somalia airstrike — that the material if released could jeopardize national security.
“[The] information that is currently and properly classified pursuant to Executive Order 13526. … In this case, I have determined that the release of the documents would foreseeably harm national security,” Marine Maj. Gen. Matthew Trollinger, the chief of staff to Air Force Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, the commander of U.S. Africa Command, wrote in his letter to CBS News.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the IG’s review “affirms what the Administration has said from the beginning — no classified information was leaked, and operational security was not compromised.”
She went on to say, “The President’s entire national security team is doing great work advancing American interests while protecting sensitive information,” adding, “President Trump stands by Secretary Hegseth.”
In separate statements on Wednesday, the top Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees called for Hegseth to resign.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said the report “notes that the IG is aware of several other Signal chats Hegseth used for official business, underscoring that this was not an isolated lapse. It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and poor judgment from a secretary who has repeatedly shown he is in over his head.”
“Pete Hegseth’s behavior and lack of judgment would be a fireable offense for anyone else in the Department of Defense,” Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said. “What’s more, his refusal to sit for an interview with the Inspector General or submit his device for examination is yet another example of his failure to take responsibility for his actions.”
Last month, Hegseth joked about the “Signalgate” scandal while speaking at Fox Nation’s Patriot Awards after spotting United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz in the audience.
“I see Mike Waltz — Mike, I’ll hit you up on Signal later.”