Overview

• The inspector general has opened a probe into whether any of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s aides were asked to delete Signal messages containing details of March 15 airstrikes in Yemen.
• Hegseth shared unapproved operational information on Signal that included members of his family, senior national security officials and The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief.
• The inquiry follows requests from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker and Ranking Member Jack Reed for a review of Hegseth’s use of an unclassified messaging app.
• The defense secretary maintains the Signal exchanges involved only informal, unclassified media coordination and denies transmitting war plans.
• Hegseth is due to testify under oath next week about his handling of sensitive information and the recent upheaval at the Pentagon.