Hegseth signed a memo this week aimed at halting spurious investigations into military fraud and abuse, a move that comes as the Trump administration weakens inspectors general across the federal government. Hegseth himself is being investigated over his use of the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss Yemen attack plans.
“We are overhauling an inspector general process, the IG, that has been weaponized, putting complainers, ideologues and poor performers in the driver’s seat,“ Hegseth told top U.S. military leaders on Tuesday.
Officials who spoke with Reuters were not aware of any timeline, prior to the memo, for evaluating complaints.
One U.S. official who approved of Hegseth's move said the memo could mean fewer frivolous complaints, allowing investigators to focus on more important tips.
“Hegseth is trying to shut down investigations and increasingly punish victims for reporting extremely difficult issues,“ Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat and fierce critic of Hegseth, told Reuters.
Less accountability?
“Let’s call this what it is: a coordinated assault against oversight, accountability, and lawful whistleblowers,“ Whistleblower Aid, a legal advocacy group, said in a statement.
A former senior U.S. official added that updating the subject of a review every 14 days, which the memo orders, would undermine the integrity of the investigation by potentially disclosing future steps and revealing evidence they already have.
The cases handled by military inspectors general offices range from employment conditions to corruption among senior officers.
The Pentagon's inspector general office has investigated senior officials across administrations, including former President Joe Biden's defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, over his secret hospitalization in 2024, which he failed to disclose to the president.
Hegseth has repeatedly said no classified information was revealed in the chat, even though it included precise times for the launch of U.S. airstrikes and some targeting details.
The new memo would not impact the investigation into Hegseth, and officials have told Reuters that the review could be published within the coming days - REUTERS
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