CNN's Kaitlan Collins disputes Trump Pentagon Chief Hegseth's claim of 'Total Exoneration'

CNNs Kaitlan Collins Dismisses Hegseths Total Exoneration Assertion

CNN anchor and senior White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, challenged Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's statement claiming that a new Pentagon report on the "Signalgate" incident represented "total exoneration." Hegseth, already under scrutiny over an airstrike on a suspected Venezuelan drug vessel, faced more controversy when a report from the Pentagon Inspector General (IG) was released on Wednesday. The report revealed Hegseths involvement in using the Signal app for discussing military attack plans in a group chat that included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. The IGs findings suggested that this lapse in security could have jeopardized U.S. forces. Despite this, both Hegseth and the Trump administration have insisted that the report clears him of wrongdoing, labeling it as a total exoneration.

On Mondays edition of CNNs The Source with Kaitlan Collins, the anchor began the broadcast with breaking news on the report. She highlighted Hegseths claim of exoneration, emphasizing that there was "no evidence" of declassification regarding the sensitive information he shared.

KAITLAN COLLINS: "We begin tonight with breaking news from Washington. Multiple sources are confirming to CNN that a newly-released report from the Pentagons inspector general finds that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth may have endangered U.S. troops by sharing classified military plans on an app. The classified report, which has been dubbed 'Signalgate,' is now in Congresss hands, and the unclassified version is expected to be made public tomorrow. The embattled Secretary faces increasing scrutiny, especially amid a growing investigation into a U.S. airstrike in the Caribbean that killed survivors who had initially survived the attack on a suspected drug boat. This airstrike, which occurred after the survivors clung to the wreckage, has raised serious concerns, with members of both political parties suggesting it could amount to a war crime."

Collins continued, stating that the incident has drawn increasing criticism, even from prominent Republicans in Washington. The investigation into Hegseths use of the Signal app has also taken a central role in the conversation. Previously, a group chat of high-ranking government officials had accidentally included a reporter while discussing a U.S. military strike in Yemen. Hegseth responded to the fallout by posting a message that read: "No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed." However, Collins pointed out that some of the information shared by Hegseth came from classified documents at the time, and there has been no evidence to confirm that he declassified it.

Collins also compared Hegseths handling of the Yemen mission to the airstrike on the drug boat. She pointed out that while Hegseth was tracking the mission in real-time during the Yemen attack, he claimed to have stopped monitoring the feed before the second strike, which killed survivors. When President Trump was asked about the possibility of punishment for those responsible for targeting the survivors, his response was:

REPORTER: "If it is found that survivors were killed while clinging to the wrecked boat, should Secretary Hegseth, Admiral Bradley, or others face consequences?"

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: "I think youre going to find that this is war, and these people were killing our people."

Collins noted that Congress will continue to investigate, with meetings scheduled to discuss the details of the airstrike. Lawmakers are expected to demand further information, including messages exchanged before, during, and after the strike, as well as the complete video and audio recordings of the incident. Further developments will unfold as the investigation continues.

Author: Natalie Monroe