Ministers' war chat

Hegseth's war chat is considered to have posed a risk to soldiers

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth exposed American military personnel to risks when he wrote in a chat on the Signal app about US plans to attack targets in Yemen. This is the conclusion of a secret internal review by the Pentagon, according to AP and CNN sources.

The report also states that Hegseth has the authority to declassify some classified documents. According to the AP, it is not stated whether Hegseth acted right or wrong in that particular point when sharing the information with other parts of the Trump administration.

Parts of the report are to be published on Thursday, but Congress has already been given a look at it, writes CNN.

The chat became known because The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly invited by then-national security adviser Mike Waltz.

The Trump Administration’s War Chat — It’s About the Matter

• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top Trump administration officials discussed detailed plans for attacks on the Houthis in Yemen in a group chat on Signal, where The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added.
• The Atlantic published excerpts from the chat that showed sensitive and detailed military information was shared, which several in the administration initially denied but was later confirmed by published chat logs.
• The incident led to internal criticism and demands for accountability within the Trump administration, with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz taking responsibility for inviting Goldberg and later having to resign.
• The Pentagon launched an investigation into Defense Secretary Hegseth’s use of Signal to discuss military operations, and a lawsuit was filed by American Oversight against several top officials for violating federal laws.
• Sources told the Washington Post and CNN that the information shared in the chat came from classified documents, which was contradicted by official statements from the Trump administration and the Pentagon.