The Pentagon’s Inspector General has taken a deeper dive into the activities of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, particularly his utilization of the double-encrypted messaging app, Signal. This investigation has expanded significantly since its inception, raising eyebrows and questions alike.
Steven Stebbins, who stepped in as Acting Inspector General following the dismissal of his predecessor by President Trump, has been overseeing this inquiry. Stebbins, who first assumed his role in 2015, is now under the spotlight as he navigates this politically charged investigation.
Hegseth, who has faced scrutiny even before his confirmation hearing, is once again in the crosshairs of controversy as new leaks surface. Anonymous sources have revealed that he allegedly included his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, in sensitive discussions with foreign military officials. For instance, she was reportedly present at a meeting with U.K. Secretary of Defense John Healey earlier this month, raising questions about the propriety of such attendance for a private citizen.
The Inspector General’s probe has gained further momentum following a report by The Wall Street Journal, which highlighted Hegseth’s involvement in Signal chat groups alongside his wife and brother. As per a congressional aide and another informant familiar with the inquiry, this revelation has broadened the scope of the investigation.
According to a spokesperson for the DOD Office of Inspector General, the assessment of Hegseth’s use of Signal for official matters is ongoing, and details regarding its parameters remain confidential to preserve the investigation’s integrity. Earlier this month, Stebbins formally announced the investigation, setting the stage for a potentially significant examination of Hegseth’s actions.
Stebbins’ memo has formally notified Hegseth of the inquiry’s intent to assess whether he breached any policies by discussing military strategies, including the Houthi strikes in Yemen, via Signal. This investigation was prompted by a request from the Senate Armed Services Committee, co-chaired by Senators Roger Wicker (R) and Jack Reed (D).
In his memo, Stebbins stated, “The purpose of this memorandum is to notify you that we are initiating the subject evaluation… in response to recent public reporting on the Secretary of Defense’s use of an unclassified commercially available messaging application to discuss information pertaining to military actions in Yemen in March 2025.”
Stebbins further outlined the evaluation’s goal: to ascertain whether the Secretary of Defense and other Department of Defense personnel adhered to established policies for using commercial messaging applications for official communications, and to assess compliance with classification and records retention protocols.
Interestingly, the involvement of former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in adding The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat group has also surfaced. This chat reportedly included discussions about successful strikes against Houthi militants, leading to criticism of Hegseth for failing to vet the participants adequately.
