(NewsNation) — A report on the “Signalgate” investigation now in the hands of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees shows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated Defense Department rules, according to sources who have seen the report.
The investigation was sparked by an incident where Hegseth, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Vice President JD Vance and several other high-level officials shared information on strikes on Houthi targets over the messaging app Signal.
An unclassified version of the report is expected to become public tomorrow, but according to sources who have seen the report, the investigation found that Hegseth did share intelligence that had been correctly labeled as secret that, if intercepted, could have endangered U.S. service members.
The sources also said that the Pentagon inspector general found Hegseth had the authority to declassify intelligence but did not comment on whether any declassification was done appropriately.
According to the sources, Hegseth refused to sit for an interview and provided a written statement in which he said he was authorized to declassify the information, that he only texted information that would not endanger troops and said the investigation is partisan. He did not provide more than a few Signal messages, so the investigation relied heavily on screenshots published in the media.
The report also found that Hegseth violated Defense Department policies regarding the use of a personal device for official purposes, and it recommends better training on the policy, sources said.
In a statement, the Defense Department cast the critical report as a “total exoneration” of Hegseth.
“The 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,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
Hegseth on X wrote, “No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission. Thank you for your attention to this IG report.”