Hegseth's Refusal to Cooperate Led to Damage in Signalgate Investigation

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released its investigation into the Signalgate incident, and it does not fully clear Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, contrary to some supporters assertions. Hegseth largely avoided cooperating with the inquiry, refusing to provide the personal phone he used for military communications and declining to participate in an interview.

The OIG report concludes that Hegseth violated Department of Defense rules regarding the use of personal devices for sensitive information and put U.S. service members at risk. The 84-page report states, We determined that the Secretary transmitted sensitive, nonpublic operational information, which he judged did not require classification, via Signal on his personal cell phone.

Additionally, Hegseth shared Signal messages containing detailed information about the number and timing of manned U.S. aircraft operations over hostile areas shortly before a strike on Houthi forces. The report emphasizes, Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and transmit nonpublic DoD information through Signal creates a risk of compromising sensitive information, potentially endangering personnel and mission objectives.

In response, Hegseth claimed that his messages only contained general non-specific details that he personally determined were either unclassified or safe to declassify. Yet the OIG included messages with highly precise details, including one stating, THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, along with exact attack timestamps.

The report warns that if adversaries had accessed this information, Houthi forces could have repositioned or avoided U.S. strikes. Although the strikes did not ultimately occur, Hegseths actions posed a significant risk to operational security and could have undermined U.S. missions and endangered pilots.

Portraying this report as a complete exoneration, as Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell suggested, is misleading. The phrase the Secretary did not comply with appears at least eight times in relation to specific DoD protocols. Yet Hegseth and administration officials continue to act as if he is being unfairly criticized for coordinating a military operation over Signal.

This situation, many argue, should have warranted immediate disciplinary action.

Author: Chloe Ramirez