Top Senate lawmakers on Thursday formally requested the Defense Inspector General’s office investigate whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated national security laws and protocols by sharing sensitive military information in a non-government chat group ahead of airstrikes in Yemen earlier this month.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., in a letter to acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins said the inquiry is needed to resolve outstanding questions about the incident and security of military secrets.
The move comes after three days of controversy over a chat group on Signal, in which Hegseth shared military operations information with other top administration leaders, including national security adviser Michael Waltz, Vice President JD Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was also included on the app, apparently in a mistake. He released a transcript of the discussions on Wednesday after White House officials insisted that it included no classified or secret information.
RELATED
The screenshots include details of attack plans hours before the launch of F/A-18s and Tomahawk missiles at Houthi militant sites in Yemen, particulars the lawmakers called concerning in their letter to the inspector general’s office.
“If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information, as well as the sharing of such information with those who do not have proper clearance and need to know,” they wrote.
White House and Pentagon officials have insisted that no information was improperly shared on the commercial app. More than 30 Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, have called for Hegseth to resign or be fired, calling his actions a serious breach of public trust.
“[Hegseth] lacks the judgement and character to lead America’s national defense,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a floor speech on Thursday.
“The information he shared on Signal is shocking. He sent very specific details about military plans over unsecured text messages. We need more answers, because more damage may have been done than the public and all of us know.”
White House officials said they will cooperate with the probe, while still insisting the scandal is a media-driven hoax.
“We have never denied that this was a mistake, and the national security adviser took responsibility for that,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press event Thursday. “And we have said we are making changes. We are looking into the matter to ensure it can never happen again.”
Hegseth and Pentagon officials have taken an even more aggressive approach, attacking Goldberg for what they call exaggerations and fear mongering.
Wicker has not committed to committee hearings on the issue, even as Democratic lawmakers have pushed for Hegseth to testify publicly on the controversy.
House Armed Services Committee leaders also have not said whether they expect to hold open sessions on the information sharing concerns.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
