Ranking Member Coons statement on Department of Defense Inspector General report into use of Signal

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement after the Department of Defense's Inspector General issued an investigation report on Secretary Hegseth's careless use of Signal to communicate troop movements:

"The DOD Inspector General has concluded that Secretary Hegseth violated DOD procedure and put service members' lives at risk with his reckless mishandling of sensitive information. In March, I led a group of senators in pressing the Trump administration to investigate this blatant misconduct. Any service member who acted with such disregard for our national security would be dismissed, at the very least. Our nation's highest ranking defense official should not be held to a lower standard than the men and women he oversees. For the good of our nation, I once again call on Secretary Hegseth to resign."

In March, Senator Coons led a letter of Senate Democratic ranking members to several inspectors general, including the Department of Defense Inspector General, calling for an investigation into the administration's misuse of Signal.