The Trump administration has attempted to manage the backlash following a magazine journalist’s revelation that he was unintentionally included in a confidential discussion regarding highly sensitive war plans, leading to calls from Democrats for the resignation of key officials over this security lapse.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, both participants in the chat, provided testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, asserting that no classified information was exchanged in the Signal group chat, which is an encrypted messaging app.
However, Democratic senators expressed doubt, pointing out that Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of the Atlantic, reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared operational details about impending strikes against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, “including information about targets, the weapons the US would deploy, and attack sequencing.”
Committee members indicated their intent to conduct an audit of the exchange, to which Ms. Gabbard and Mr. Ratcliffe agreed. Senate Republican majority leader John Thune anticipated the Senate Armed Services Committee would investigate the Trump administration officials’ usage of Signal.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe faced questioning regarding the chat.
The revelation garnered outrage and disbelief from national security experts and spurred Democrats, as well as some of President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans, to demand an investigation into what they labeled a significant security breach.
“I believe there should be resignations, beginning with the national security adviser and the secretary of defense,” stated Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon during the hearing.
Conversely, Mr. Trump expressed support for his national security team when asked about the incident during a White House event featuring Michael Waltz, his national security adviser who mistakenly included Goldberg in the Signal discussion.
Jeffrey Goldberg referred to the use of a Signal chat as ‘shockingly reckless.’
Mr. Trump mentioned that the administration would investigate the usage of Signal but did not believe Mr. Waltz should apologize.
US Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia grew visibly frustrated after Mr. Ratcliffe repeatedly answered “I don’t recall” to a series of inquiries about the Signal chat’s content.
“Director Ratcliffe, surely you prepared for this hearing today,” Mr. Ossoff remarked. “You are part of an esteemed group of principals, senior officials in the US government, now facing a widely publicized breach of sensitive information.”
“We will obtain the complete transcript of this exchange, and your testimony will be closely evaluated against its content,” he added.
Some Republicans also sought further clarification. Senator Todd Young mentioned he would pursue inquiries during a closed hearing later today, stating, “It appears to me there are some unanswered questions,” commented the Indiana Republican.
A former US official informed Reuters that operational details for military actions are generally classified and confined to a select few at the Pentagon, and such highly sensitive information is typically stored on computers utilizing a separate secure network.
JD Vance and Pete Hegseth are believed to have discussed whether US allies in Europe merited assistance.
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes confirmed yesterday that the chat group seemed authentic.
Sensitive information should not be disseminated through commercial mobile apps, and unknown numbers, like Mr. Goldberg’s, ought not to have been included. Moreover, Signal’s capability to erase conversations could contravene laws regulating the preservation of government records.
“This exemplifies the kind of sloppy, careless, and incompetent behavior, particularly regarding classified information… of this administration,” declared the committee’s Democratic vice chairman, Mark Warner of Virginia.
Accounts believed to represent Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ratcliffe, Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and senior National Security Council officials were present in the chat group, as noted by Mr. Goldberg yesterday.
Ms. Gabbard acknowledged her absence from the country during the chat but refrained from confirming whether she was utilizing a personal phone.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Mr. Goldberg of sensationalizing the situation in a post on X.
White House communications director Steven Cheung also dismissed the concern over a journalist’s inclusion in a war-planning chat as “faux outrage” on X.
Mr. Hegseth told reporters yesterday that no war plans were shared. Mr. Goldberg, appearing on CNN, labeled those statements as “a lie.”
The rationale behind the officials opting for Signal over the secure government channels typically employed for sensitive discussions remains unclear.
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Signal is known for its “stellar reputation and is widely trusted in the security community,” stated Rocky Cole, whose cybersecurity firm iVerify assists in protecting smartphone users from hackers.
“The risk associated with discussing highly sensitive national security information on Signal stems not from Signal’s security, but from the capability of nation-state threat actors to remotely compromise the entire mobile device itself. If the phone isn’t secure, all the Signal communications on that device may be accessible,” Mr. Cole elaborated.
Republican Representative Don Bacon, a retired Air Force general serving on the House Armed Services Committee, stated that Mr. Hegseth must be held accountable for the breach, which he argued jeopardized lives.
When asked about the White House’s assertion that no classified details were shared, Bacon responded: “They should be honest about it and take responsibility.”
