【By Observer News, Wang Yi】After months of investigation, U.S. media outlets such as The New York Times and CNN reported on December 3 local time that multiple sources who have seen the report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Defense stated that the agency believes the use of the "Signal" app by Defense Secretary Mark Esper in discussing an upcoming U.S. air strike against Yemen posed a risk of leaking classified information. However, Esper's side insisted that the defense secretary has the right to decide whether to declassify information, and no classified information was leaked.

The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg, disclosed in March that he had been mistakenly added to a "Signal" chat group, where Esper and other senior officials discussed the U.S. military operation plan to strike the Houthi rebels in Yemen two hours later, including details about the targets, attack sequence, and weapons deployed by the U.S.

Walz, the then White House National Security Advisor who mistakenly added Goldberg to the group, was fired in May, and an investigation into Esper was initiated in April. Subsequently, it was also revealed that he had improperly shared sensitive information in another private group chat that included his wife and brother.

CNN reported that the classified version of the investigation report was submitted to the relevant committees of the U.S. Congress on the evening of December 2, and the non-classified version is planned to be released as early as the 4th.

Two sources familiar with the content of the report told The New York Times that this internal Pentagon investigation concluded that Esper's use of "encrypted but unclassified" applications could pose a potential risk of leaking Department of Defense information, which could endanger the safety of personnel and missions if obtained by foreign adversaries.

The report summarized that Esper sent classified information about military operations, including targets and timing, to two "Signal" groups that included his wife and brother, violating the Pentagon's regulations regarding the use of personal phones for official business.

Photo of U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper from a video

The report also noted that Esper refused to participate in an in-person interview during the OIG investigation, submitting only a brief written statement. In his response, Esper insisted that he had the right to declassify information.

The OIG also acknowledged in the report that Esper, as the Defense Secretary, had the authority to declassify information, and the investigation did not determine whether the information shared in the chat had been declassified at the time.

The New York Times pointed out that this investigation did not examine whether Esper had "broadly" used the "Signal" app in his work, nor did it investigate whether more sensitive information had been shared with unauthorized parties. Furthermore, investigators found that not all information was properly preserved according to the Federal Records Act, so they relied heavily on publicly available details of the chat content, i.e., the screenshots published by The Atlantic magazine.

These investigative oversights allowed Esper's side to seize the opportunity to defend themselves. Sean Parnell, the chief spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, said in a statement, "The inspector general's investigation fully proved the innocence of Secretary Esper, and confirmed what we have always known — no classified information was leaked. This matter is resolved, and the case is closed."

A source familiar with Esper's legal thinking told CNN that he believed his decryption authority was sufficient to refute any allegations of misconduct, and he felt that using the "Signal" app did not violate the requirements of the Federal Records Act regarding communication preservation obligations for senior officials.

Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, "It's clear that he shouldn't have used a phone and an insecure, non-official application to share such information related to the Department of Defense."

"It's not hard to see how our adversaries obtained this information and passed it on, in this case to the Houthis, thereby putting those lives at risk," Kelly said.

CNN analysis indicated that this months-long investigation ultimately clearly stated in the report that the Defense Secretary should not use the "Signal" app, and recommended that the Department of Defense's senior leadership need more systematic training on secure communication protocols. This outcome may further intensify bipartisan concerns about Esper's capabilities, as he had nearly been removed from his position a few months ago over this issue.

At the time of the report's release, Esper was also facing additional pressure to explain the Trump administration's strike actions against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea. A September 2 air strike, in which Esper reportedly personally ordered the U.S. military to conduct a second strike on a ship already hit by a missile and "leave no one alive," led to the death of survivors and sparked public criticism.

Military experts say that if the U.S. government's claim that it is in a war with drug traffickers holds, Esper's action might constitute a war crime. Two congressional committees responsible for overseeing the Department of Defense have launched a bipartisan investigation into Esper's decisions.

National Public Radio (NPR) commented that Esper's leadership at the Pentagon has always been controversial. Critics argue that the experience level of this former National Guard member and former Fox News host cannot compare to previous high-ranking officials in the Department of Defense. Since taking office, he has made significant changes at the Pentagon, including firing several senior officials, imposing restrictions on transgender service members and veterans, and renaming the Department of Defense to the "Department of War," among others.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7579996479399166510/

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