447084
From: shadow, [DNS_Address]
Subject: White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans w/The Atlantic journo
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Summary Democratic lawmakers demand investigation into security breach Use of Signal app for sensitive info deemed illegal by Democrats Defense Secretary Hegseth said to call European allies freeloaders WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - Top Trump administration officials mistakenly disclosed war plans in a messaging group that included a journalist shortly before the U.S. attacked Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, the White House said on Monday, following a first-hand account by The Atlantic. Democratic lawmakers swiftly blasted the misstep, saying it was a breach of U.S. national security and a violation of law that must be investigated by Congress. The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said in a report on Monday that he was unexpectedly invited on March 13 to an encrypted chat group on the Signal messaging app called the "Houthi PC small group." In the group, national security adviser Mike Waltz tasked his deputy Alex Wong with setting up a "tiger team" to coordinate U.S. action against the Houthis. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said the chat group appeared to be authentic. U.S. President Donald Trump launched an ongoing campaign of large-scale military strikes against Yemen's Houthis on March 15 over the group's attacks against Red Sea shipping, and he warned Iran, the Houthis' main backer, that it needed to immediately halt support for the group. Hours before those attacks started, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted operational details about the plan in the messaging group, "including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing," Goldberg said. His report omitted the details but Goldberg termed it a "shockingly reckless" use of a Signal chat. Accounts that appeared to represent Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and senior National Security Council officials were assembled in the chat group, Goldberg wrote. Joe Kent, Trump's nominee for National Counterterrorism Center director, was apparently on the Signal chain despite not yet being Senate-confirmed. Trump told reporters at the White House that he was unaware of the incident. "I don't know anything about it. I'm not a big fan of The Atlantic," Trump said. A White House official said later that an investigation was under way and Trump had been briefed on it. The NSC's Hughes said in a statement: "At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain." "The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to our servicemembers or our national security." Hegseth denied sharing war plans in the group chat. "Nobody was texting war plans, and that's all I have to say about that," he told reporters while on an official trip to Hawaii on Monday. 'EUROPEAN FREE-LOADING' According to screenshots of the chat reported by The Atlantic, officials in the group debated whether the U.S. should carry out the strikes, and at one point Vance appeared to question whether U.S. allies in Europe, more exposed to shipping disruption in the region, deserved U.S. help. "@PeteHegseth if you think we should do it let's go," a person identified as Vance wrote. "I just hate bailing Europe out again," the person wrote, adding: "Let's just make sure our messaging is tight here." A person identified as Hegseth replied: "VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC." The Atlantic reported that the person identified as Vance also raised concerns about the timing of the strikes, and said there was a strong argument in favor of delaying them by a month. "I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There's a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices," the account wrote, before saying he was willing to support the group's consensus. Yemen, Houthi-ally Iran and the European Union's diplomatic service did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Under U.S. law, it can be a crime to mishandle, misuse or abuse classified information, though it is unclear whether those provisions might have been breached in this case. Messages that The Atlantic report said were set by Waltz to disappear from the Signal app after a period of time also raise questions about possible violations of federal record-keeping laws. As part of a Trump administration effort to chase down leaks by officials to journalists unrelated to the Signal group, Gabbard posted on X on March 14 that any "unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated as such." On Tuesday, Gabbard is due to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on worldwide threats to the United States. Created by the entrepreneur Moxie Marlinspike, Signal has gone from an exotic messaging app used by privacy- conscious dissidents to the unofficial whisper network of Washington officialdom. Democratic lawmakers called the use of the Signal group illegal and demanded an investigation. "This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence that I have read about in a very, very long time," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, adding that he would ask Majority Leader John Thune to investigate. "We're just finding out about it. But obviously, we've got to run it to ground and figure out what went on there. We'll have a plan," said Thune, a Republican from South Dakota. There was no immediate suggestion from the White House that the breach would lead to any staffing changes. "President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Reuters. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said on X the use of Signal to discuss highly sensitive national security issues was "blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief." "Every single one of the government officials on this text chain have now committed a crime – even if accidentally – that would normally involve a jail sentence," Democratic Senator Chris Coons said on X. |
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[447107] [447105] [447106] [447092] [447086] [447085] [447091]
447107
From: The Hierophant, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Right out of their playbook - blaming Biden for the leak - lol!
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Because they have nothing else - and because they are so inept and incompetent they are ALWAYS going to blame someone else - so why not Biden, or Obama. But to blame Biden for the stupidity of using an unsecured texting ap to share war plans - that's rich! And of course their other play is to try and distract and divert attention. And his cult members will lap it up without questions - can't believe that SO many Americans are SO stupid. "White House releases outlandish statement blaming Biden for war text scandal The White House has released a bizarre statement calling out Democrats and their "media allies" for allegedly forgetting the results of the attack on Yemen. In a statement, U.S. President Donald Trump called out former President Joe Biden was seemingly responsible for the leak of the classified war texts. It began: "Democrats and their media allies have seemingly forgotten that President Donald J. Trump and his National Security team successfully killed terrorists who have targeted U.S. troops and disrupted the most consequential shipping routes in the world. "This is a coordinated effort to distract from the successful actions taken by President Trump and his administration to make America’s enemies pay and keep Americans safe. "The Biden Administration sat back as a band of pirates — with precision-guided, Iran-provided weaponry — exacted a toll system in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. "In fact, since 2023, Houthi terrorists attacked U.S. Navy warships 174 times and attacked commercial shipping vessels 145 times — and as a result, 75% of U.S.-flagged shipping has been forced to navigate the southern coast of Africa rather than through the Suez Canal." The statement added that "Biden’s weakness invited these unacceptable attacks — while President Trump put these terrorists on notice." It further claimed that Biden had removed the Houthis from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and that Trump immediately returned them to the list. Trump's statement also touts that Biden "allowed the Houthis to attack U.S. Navy ships and shut down commercial traffic through the Red Sea — responding in feckless, pinprick 'attacks'." It was further claimed that Trump "launched successful, large-scale strikes against the Houthis, eliminating senior terrorists within the organization and putting the world on notice." "The Trump Administration’s actions to hold the Houthis accountable has been a massive success — and nothing can distract from that unrelenting action to keep Americans safe," the statement ended. The White House's statement comes as several key Trump officials have come under fire for disclosing plans for the Yemen military in a group chat that had the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic in it. Jeffrey Goldberg revealed Monday that he had been added to a group on the texting app Signal, which reportedly contained Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. According to Goldberg, he was added to the group by Waltz on March 15, which disclosed “precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing," per The Independent. Goldberg further states that at 11:44 a.m. — just two hours before the first bombs started falling in the Middle Eastern Country —he received a message from Hegseth. In a statement issued by White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes, the entire conversation appeared to be legitimate. "At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” he said. Ironically, the incident happened one day after Gabbard went on a rant denouncing leaking information to journalists. "Our nation’s Intelligence Community must be focused on our national security mission," she wrote. "Politically motivated leaks undermine our national security and the trust of the American people, and will not be tolerated." Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability," she continued. "That ends now. We know of and are aggressively pursuing recent leakers from within the Intelligence Community and will hold them accountable." "Any unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated as such, " she stated. It is currently unknown if there will be any repercussions over this breach of security. It also raises questions about whether the officials violated the Espionage Act, which makes it illegal to mishandle national defense information" |
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447105
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans w/The Atlantic...
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perhaps this shut up those morons who keep lying about the chat... Atlantic editor suggests he’s open to sharing Hegseth’s full war plans texts publicly by Dominick Mastrangelo - 03/25/25 12:06 PM ET Jeffery Goldberg, the top editor of The Atlantic, said he could be open to sharing more details from a Signal group chat he was mistakenly added to by top U.S. officials that contained secret war plans. “I get the defensive reaction,” Goldberg said Tuesday during an interview with The Bulwark. “But my obligation, I feel, is to the idea that we take national security information seriously.” Goldberg published a bombshell report Monday outlining how he was added to a group chat on the encrypted messaging app that included top U.S. intelligence and military officials earlier this month relating to the U.S. government’s plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen. Goldberg reported he saw in a message, sent to the group by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, specific weapons systems, human targets and other top secret information before he left the chat. He did not publish the specific information as part of his report, citing national security concerns. The White House has denied war plans were texted to the group, and Hegseth on Monday denied the reporting as well, calling Goldberg “a deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again.” “Maybe in the coming days, I’ll be able to say, ‘OK, I have a plan to have this materiel vetted publicly,'” Goldberg told The Bulwark on Tuesday. “But I’m not going to say that now.” During a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe contended that the Signal chat in question did not include classified information. |
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[447106]
447106
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans w/The Atlantic...
URL: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5212338-white-house-war-plans-signal-chat-atlantic/
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and here is the latest rumpian blond bimbo pushing the lies, lke the good little toady she is... White House pushes back at war plans group chat story by Brett Samuels - 03/25/25 9:14 AM ET The White House on Tuesday sought to downplay the significance of a journalist being added to a group chat of administration officials discussing plans for attacks against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued in a post on the social platform X that no “war plans” were discussed in the chat on the Signal app, echoing comments Monday night from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. She also asserted that no classified material was sent to the thread. Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic who was included in the group chat by mistake, has said war plans were discussed in the chat. “He was texting attack plans. When targets were going to be targeted; how they were going to be targeted; who was at the targets; when the next sequence of attacks was happening,” Goldberg said Monday night on CNN. Leavitt, who dismissed Goldberg as “well-known for his sensationalist spin,” also said the White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on platforms administration officials can use to communicate. It’s unclear if Signal, an app that offers encryption as well as features like disappearing messages, is an approved platform. “As the National Security Council stated, the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was inadvertently added to the thread,” Leavitt posted. “Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective,” she added. “Terrorists were killed and that’s what matters most to President Trump.” Lawmakers and national security experts expressed alarm at Goldberg’s revelation that he was added to the group of administration officials, with some calling for firings over the incident. The National Security Council confirmed the authenticity of the group chat Monday. |
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447092
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: and the President claims to know nothing
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except that he doesn't like the Atlantic press conference clip at link John Greenewald, Jr. @blackvaultcom · 14h President Trump is asked to react to the Signal messages being sent to The Atlantic about the military strikes in Yemen. He claims he doesn't know about it. How could he not know? |
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447086
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans w/The Atlantic...
URL: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/24/mike-waltz-signal-chat-resign-00246541
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only the best... Waltz’s future in doubt following accidental war plan leak “You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser,” one official said. By Dasha Burns, Rachael Bade and Eli Stokols 03/24/2025 07:25 PM EDT The stunning revelation that top administration officials accidentally included a reporter in a group chat discussing war plans triggered furious discussion inside the White House that national security adviser Mike Waltz may need to be forced out. Nothing is decided yet, and White House officials cautioned that President Donald Trump would ultimately make the decision over the next day or two as he watches coverage of the embarrassing episode. A senior administration official told POLITICO on Monday afternoon that they are involved in multiple text threads with other administration staffers on what to do with Waltz, following the bombshell report that the top aide inadvertently included Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a private chat discussing a military strike on Houthis. “Half of them saying he’s never going to survive or shouldn’t survive,” said the official, who like others was granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberation. And two high-level White House aides have floated the idea that Waltz should resign in order to prevent the president from being put in a “bad position.” “It was reckless not to check who was on the thread. It was reckless to be having that conversation on Signal. You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser,” the official said. A person close to the White House was even more blunt: “Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a fucking idiot.” Goldberg got a request to join Signal, an encrypted messaging app, from a “Mike Waltz” on March 11, according to the publication. He was then included in a group chat dubbed “Houthi PC small group” with what appeared to be other top administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and others. A third person familiar with the fallout said Trump has spoken with Waltz about the matter — and the White House is, for now, standing by him. “As President Trump said, the attacks on the Houthis have been highly successful and effective. President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Monday statement. The press office declined to comment further. A fourth White House official said they were aware of internal pressure for Waltz to own his mistake — which could mean a possible resignation. But that official said what happens to Waltz largely depends on how Trump personally feels about the matter, and noted the involvement of other administration officials in the Signal chat as well. Two of the officials said that while Trump may lay blame at the feet of Waltz for potentially compromising U.S. national security, he could just as easily be frustrated with Vance for stepping out of line from the administration’s foreign policy in the chat, or target Hegseth as the one who allegedly shared sensitive details with the group. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself,” Vance said, according to the Atlantic’s report. “But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.” It has also created an opening for longtime Waltz detractors suspicious of his neoconservative ties to push for his removal. Waltz once advised former Vice President Dick Cheney on counterterrorism but, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has in recent years shifted his foreign policy views to embrace a more “America First” approach. Those concerns were amplified on social media Monday by a contingent of isolationist conservatives who questioned why Waltz had the Atlantic editor-in-chief’s cell phone number in the first place — suggesting it was evidence of Waltz’s continued neocon sympathies. And while Congress has been reluctant to cross Trump in his first two months in office, some members on Monday voiced concerns about the incident. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said sending sensitive information over an unsecure network was “unconscionable,” while Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Armed Services Committee, told the New York Times that it was a “concern” and that his committee would “definitely be looking into it.” MOST READ image.jpg Pam Bondi warns Jasmine Crockett to ‘tread very carefully’ in what she says about Elon Musk Trump floats sending Americans to foreign prisons. Civil rights groups say that would be illegal. DOJ moves to boot federal judge from Perkins Coie case ‘Not how this works’: The GOP agenda is stuck amid House vs. Senate infighting Trump demands Maine governor apologize — or the state will face consequences Defense hawks’ criticism of the incident is particularly noteworthy given their perception that Waltz is their guy in the administration, a sympathetic ear in a White House dominated by “America First” isolationists. Still, the person close to the White House who dubbed Waltz a “fucking idiot,” didn’t expect any widespread repercussions from the incident. “I don’t think there are any longterm political consequences for Trump or the Administration, outside of this potentially costing Waltz his job,” the person said. But many Republicans on the Hill are hoping Waltz survives. Indeed, while GOP lawmakers privately said they believed some White House official would have to take the blame, House Republicans in particular have defended their former colleague Waltz. Speaker Mike Johnson told POLITICO that Waltz should “absolutely not” resign. “He’s exceptionally qualified for the job. He is trusted — trustworthy,” Johnson said. “He was made for that job, and I have full confidence in him.” Megan Messerly, Meredith Lee Hill and Adam Wren contributed to this report. |
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447085
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans w/The Atlantic...
| hegseth is sure living up to his billing... |
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[447091]
447091
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans w/The Atlantic...
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he uses the tired old rump playbook...deny deny deny...lie lie lie... Atlantic journalist pushes back on Hegseth comments: ‘He was texting war plans’ by Tara Suter - 03/24/25 10:15 PM ET Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, pushed back on comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the journalist’s access to a group chat with information about an attack on Houthi rebels from top Trump administration officials. When asked about Goldberg’s access to the chat, Hegseth told reporters Monday, “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins noted the comments from Hegseth in an interview with Goldberg Monday night. “I want to start by getting your reaction to what we heard from Secretary Hegseth there, saying that ‘Nobody was texting war plans.’ Given you were privy to this group chat, is that how you saw it?” Collins asked. “No, that’s a lie. He was texting war plans,” Goldberg responded. “He was texting attack plans. When targets were going to be targeted; how they were going to be targeted; who was at the targets; when the next sequence of attacks was happening.” Hegseth on Monday also called Goldberg “a deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again.” Goldberg gained access to a group chat featuring Trump administration figures such as Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz, in which they discussed plans for an attack against Houthi rebels. The Atlantic journalist detailed his experience as a part of the chat in a Monday report that rattled Washington. The chat’s existence was confirmed by a spokesperson for the National Security Council, Brian Hughes. “I’m sitting in a Safeway parking lot, watching my phone and realizing, ‘Oh my God, this might be real. I think Pete Hegseth just sent this group actual targeting information, actual sequencing of an attack,’” Goldberg told Collins on Monday. The Hill has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment. |
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