The Pentagon is set to release a redacted, unclassified version of its internal review of senior officials' use of private messaging apps to discuss military operations, according to a report.
The document is expected to be made public Thursday and has already been transmitted in full to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee for review in a secure setting, Axios reported.
Although the public will see a censored version of the report, Congress is getting access to the complete record.
The report comes as the Trump administration's top defense leadership faces intensifying scrutiny over U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats operating off Venezuela — an aggressive counter-narcotics posture the administration says is aimed at choking off deadly narcotics flows and restoring deterrence in America's own hemisphere.
The "Signalgate" controversy traces back to March, when Trump administration officials used the Signal app to discuss sensitive strike plans involving Yemen.
The chat erupted into a media firestorm after Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently added to the group thread.
The War Department inspector general opened a review in April following bipartisan requests for an expedited probe from Capitol Hill, Axios said.
NBC News separately reported this week that the watchdog's probe has been completed and delivered to War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
As Democrats prepare to seize on the report's release to amplify resignation demands, the Pentagon is pushing back hard.
In July, Hegseth, through a department spokesman, blasted an inspector general review as "a sham, conducted in bad faith and with extreme bias," with chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also calling it a "political witch hunt."
Supporters of the administration argue the underlying "scandal" has been oversold, pointing to the White House's longstanding position that no classified information was shared in the Signal chat — a point Axios reported the Trump team emphasized when it initially shrugged off the controversy.
Hegseth has defended a controversial follow-on strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat, describing the "fog of war" and saying commanders had authority — as bipartisan inquiries and legal scrutiny escalated.
With the "Signalgate" review now heading into the public arena, the administration appears poised for a familiar fight: Democrats framing the report as evidence of misconduct, while Trump officials argue they are being targeted for taking decisive action — both against foreign adversaries abroad and against cartels and narco-traffickers closer to home.
During his first major Capitol Hill appearance since confirmation, Hegseth faced pointed questions from lawmakers on multiple fronts, including budget transparency and operational decisions.
House appropriators hit Hegseth with sharp criticism, as Democrats attacked his leadership style and Republicans signaled that major initiatives will face intense oversight.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.
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