National security lapses under Trump's administration exposed in the SignalGate scandal, as he allegedly falsified information
In a shocking revelation, it has been reported that a group chat among high-level officials in the Trump administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, discussed sensitive military information regarding secret war plans against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The truth about this group chat, as reported by The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, is that it indeed contained classified information. The chat, conducted on the encrypted messaging app Signal, included details about the U.S. military's plans to launch decisive strikes against Houthi missile, drone, radar, and air defense systems that were disrupting shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
According to reports, Defense Secretary Hegseth shared detailed bombing campaign plans in these unclassified chats, which represented a significant breach of protocol since the underlying information was classified and not meant for foreign nationals or public domains. The Pentagon's inspector general has evidence affirming this unauthorized sharing of classified information.
The nature of the information shared involved the U.S. military's plans, weapons, war targets, and timing of the operation. The chat even included specific launch times for F-18s and strike drones. Defense Sec. Hegseth texted "We are a GO for mission launch."
Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, testified about this secret war plan by the Trump administration before the Senate, though she later insisted that no classified information was shared and no sources, methods, locations, or war plans were discussed. Under oath, Gabbard claimed she couldn't recall if she was part of the group chat or if the information was classified.
The group chat included Vice President JD Vance, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA director John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Senior White House Advisor Stephen Miller, and Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
The leak led to a Defense Department investigation into potential security breaches related to the use of Signal by senior officials. If the enemy had accessed this pre-strike information, American military personnel could have been killed. If a military personnel acted like Tulsi Gabbard and Defense Sec. Hegseth, they would face severe consequences.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) and Raj Krishnamurti (D-IL) called for an investigation on Wednesday. Krishnamurti stated that Secretary of Defense Hegseth, who transmitted classified sensitive operational information via the chain, should resign immediately. Emil Guillermo, an award-winning journalist, stated that when a journalist is eyewitness to the facts, the public should know whom to trust. He compared the current situation to Watergate.
The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced Trump's position that this is no big deal and asked, "Who would you trust? The Secretary of Defense or Jeffrey Goldberg?" However, the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg reported on the group chat and the secret war plans.
It is important to note that the use of the Signal app, a commercial phone app, for such sensitive discussions is seen as a careless and lazy choice, especially considering the U.S. government's investment in secure top-secret communication systems. The US government spent billions on secure top-secret communication systems, using Signal is seen as a careless and lazy choice.
In summary, the group chat reported by Jeffrey Goldberg contained classified strategic details about U.S. military action in Yemen, was mistakenly expanded to include a journalist, and included high-level officials such as Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard. The Pentagon has confirmed evidence of a security breach stemming from these chats, despite initial denials by the Trump administration.
- The group chat among high-level officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and others, discussed sensitive military information, such as war plans against the Iranian-backed Houthis, which falls under the category of general news and war-and-conflicts.
- Despite Tulsi Gabbard's initial denial, the Pentagon's inspector general has evidence affirming the unauthorized sharing of classified information, relating to crime-and-justice, specifically the breach of protocol in sharing detailed bombing campaign plans.
