By Editor,Elina Shirazi

Copyright dailymail

It sparked outrage and confusion within the nerve center of U.S. military headquarters –– with some officials convinced the Secretary of War had crossed a legal line by using the encrypted app Signal to discuss military operations.

But two legal sources familiar with the Inspector General’s new review and sympathetic to Pete Hegseth claim it is legally impossible for the Secretary of War to be found guilty of misconduct in this instance.

These sources assert that since Hegseth is the original classifying authority, he has the digression to declassify something –– ‘even if it’s not a good idea.’

‘The only caveat to that would be if he revealed something by the CIA. But it is clear that did not happen here – it was all operational DOD plans, not CIA,’ a legal source familiar with the process told Daily Mail.

That legal interpretation was shot down by a source on Biden’s national security council team, who says a time–stamp or evidence of some kind is needed to declassify information.

‘He’s just a rookie at this –– I actually don’t believe it was malicious, I think he was just out of his depth,’ the Biden official told Daily Mail.

The Pentagon’s inspector general has completed a months–long investigation into Hegseth’s use of the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss classified military operations, DailyMail has learned.

The findings were delivered to Hegseth for review, marking the final stages of a probe that has stirred serious political scrutiny within the Defense Department.

The review centered on at least two Signal group chats used for sensitive discussions, raising concerns about potential breaches of protocol. Hegseth, however, is expected to submit a formal response — a standard step before any report is finalized and sent to Congress, which could take several more weeks.

Congress will make that public, with certain parts possibly redacted.

The Pentagon’s Inspector General cannot actually punish the Secretary of Defense — it can only issue any findings or recommendations. Any disciplinary action, including removal from his post, would have to come from the following the report from either the president or political pressure.

At the heart of the investigation is whether Hegseth acted within his legal rights to share operational plans on the app. Experts say that defense may protect him from formal misconduct findings — but the fallout has already been significant, leading to the first major firing of the Trump administration’s second term: former national security advisor Mike Waltz.

Several sources close to Hegseth noted that the use of Signal is not unique to the Secretary of War and that officials in the Biden administration also relied on the encrypted app during key operations — including the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

‘The IG may find fault with the federal records act of using these private apps and not keeping a record of it – which are process issues. The use of signal has changed significantly – the entire federal government has been running on signal to avoid Chinese actors, not to avoid FOIA’s or anything like that,’ one source close to Hegseth tells Daily Mail.

A second former U.S. official close to former President Biden pushed back on comparisons to Hegseth’s case, telling DailyMail the controversy isn’t about using Signal — but about two serious breaches.

‘One, a reporter was added into a discussion with classified information, and I doubt Jeffrey Goldberg has a security clearance. Two, they are using a platform that was not designed for classified information,’ the official said.

The official would not confirm or deny that government employees from the Biden administration actually used signal in the Afghanistan withdrawal, but said they did use the app for ‘logistical information’ in 2023 and 2024.

However, other legal experts question whether such discretion was exercised appropriately or in line with federal guidance.

The Inspector General reportedly had evidence that the military plans Hegseth put out and distributed through the messaging app were from a US Central Command document that was classified.

The secret document means that no foreign nationals can see it.

The source familiar claims that the report is marked classified not because of its findings, but because it includes General Michael Kurilla’s original emails, marked as secret for now. Kurilla served as the former commander of the United States Cental Command and played a huge role in leading military campaigns in the Middle East. He has since retired.

Hegseth’s Pentagon has dismissed the review as a ‘political witch hunt led by Biden holdovers,’ with spokesman Sean Parnell calling it ‘a biased sham carried out in bad faith.’

A source close to Hegseth says they believe there is legal ambiguity around modern secure messaging policies.

The Inspector General could still cite Federal Records Act violations, which requires all government officials to preserve official communications regardless of platform. Using encrypted apps like Signal can violate federal law if messages aren’t properly archived for agency records.

In 2024, CISA recommended high–risk government employees use end–to–end encrypted apps like Signal. However, a 2023 Defense Department memo prohibited military staff from using Signal for sensitive matters.

The inspector general’s review began in April after The Atlantic reported that a government group chat, including Hegseth, shared war plans. Editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the chat in March, where Trump officials discussed a planned U.S. bombing operation in Yemen.

Senate Armed Services Committee leaders from both parties urged the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate whether Hegseth broke laws by sharing sensitive information on unclassified networks with unauthorized personnel.