Hegseth shared classified information
On Tuesday, sources revealed that an investigation by the Pentagon's Inspector General had determined that Pete Hegseth had shared CLASSIFIED military information on a commercial messaging app. This contradicts the official position that the information was not classified. It will come as no surprise that Hegseth is both incompetent and a liar. What does come as a surprise is that there is anyone left at the Pentagon who still pursues the truth.
How we got here
From March 11 to 15, 2025, Pete Hegseth used Signal to chat about Operation Rough Rider, an imminent strike against the Houthis in Yemen. The chat group included JD Vance, senior White House officials, three Cabinet secretaries, and the directors of two intelligence agencies. The gang that can't shoot straight also included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic and moderator of Washington Week.
The chat shared details of the impending airstrikes, including types of aircraft and missiles, as well as launch and attack times. In addition, CIA Director John Ratcliffe shared the name of an undercover CIA officer. And for spice, Vance and Hegseth expressed contempt for America's European allies.
After Goldberg reported that the US military communicates with the Trump administration through publicly accessible means (i.e., it was available to hackers), Hegseth denied the conversation risked compromising anything. In effect, he said it was just a bunch of guys shooting the shit. Pete, in fact, thought the information was so unremarkable that he also shared it with his wife, his brother, and his lawyer in another Signal chat group.
The IG's investigation
This is how NBC News reported the news:
It [the IG report] found that the information could have imperiled American troops had it been intercepted by a foreign adversary, the two people who have read the report said. The evaluation by the Defense Department Inspector General also concluded that Hegseth violated military regulations by using his personal phone for official business, according to those people.
So far, there has been no comment from either the Pentagon or the White House.
NBC News continued:
The IG report was delivered to the Senate and House armed services and intelligence committees and lawmakers were reviewing the report on Wednesday, congressional aides said. A redacted version has not been released publicly.
I'll wager that Hegseth won't get much support from Trump. Apparently, even that malignant man has a line. And the Pentagon executing wounded civilians is beyond it. There is nothing in this report that Trump can spin in his favor. Every American, from left to right, thinks putting America's warfighters and intelligence assets at risk is at least a fireable offense.
If nothing else, the gamut of Hegseth's missteps is taking away attention from a man for whom attention is oxygen. Is Pete's old job at Fox still available?
