The Pentagon’s Inspector General is launching an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app for official business. The probe, triggered by concerns from Senators Roger Wicker and Jack Reed, will examine potential breaches of security guidelines and records retention requirements.
Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins announced the investigation in a Thursday memorandum, responding to a letter from Senators Wicker and Reed last month. Their request followed reports about Hegseth’s Signal usage and whether classified information was shared or Pentagon security guidelines were violated.
Atlantic magazine editor-in-chief Jeffery Goldberg inadvertently exposed Hegseth’s use of Signal after being added to a private group chat. This chat reportedly included discussions about a forthcoming airstrike against Houthi rebels in Yemen, detailing targets, timing, and aircraft.
National Security Advisor Michael Waltz hosted the Signal group, which included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller. These officials have maintained that no rules regarding government document preservation were broken and that the military plans discussed were unclassified.
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Waltz reportedly uses his personal Gmail account for government business and has created up to 20 private government-related Signal groups. Senators Wicker and Reed raised concerns about discussing sensitive information on unclassified networks and sharing it with individuals lacking proper clearance.
“This chat was alleged to have included classified information pertaining to sensitive military actions in Yemen,” the senators wrote. “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.”
The Inspector General’s investigation will take place in Washington DC and at US Central Command in Florida. Secretary Hegseth has been instructed to assign two points of contact within five days: one government official and one senior military officer.
“The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business,” the Inspector General’s letter states. “Additionally, we will review compliance with classification and records retention requirements. We may revise the objective as the evaluation proceeds.”
Stebbins was appointed acting IG after his predecessor was dismissed by President Trump on January 24, along with 16 other Inspectors General throughout the federal government.
