A chilling new investigation by The Atlantic has uncovered a major security vulnerability. It features Trump administration alumni, including Mike Waltz and Jeffrey Goldberg. At the center of the incident is a Signal chat group used to coordinate operational details for US military attacks on Yemen. National security officials allegedly made some of this classified information public in this group. That should make all of us extremely wary about the safety of any communication channel employed by government employees!
The Atlantic reveals that several top members of the Trump administration Cabinet were in the Signal chain. They’d been plotting out plans for military strikes. The appointment of journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to this group was a huge red flag. For one, he had no business having access to this super sensitive info, exposing a pretty huge security failure. Director CIA John Ratcliffe Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Fairy Godmother Director of National Intelligence No, there wasn’t any classified info in that chat. Yet they persisted, even when the topics were especially sensitive.
We’re glad that Mike Waltz raised hell to set the record straight. Henkel acknowledged that a staffer from his office who bore no responsibility for the fatal error should have entered Goldberg’s contact information into his phone. Waltz suggested that Goldberg's number might have been inadvertently listed under another individual's name, leading to his unintended inclusion in the chat.
“It’s embarrassing, yes. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.” – Mike Waltz
The Signal chat was an open forum to lay out the detailed operational plans to publicly execute US military actions in Yemen. Details on this story, first covered by The Atlantic. The announcement of the breach has sent waves of panic through every sector. Even Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney weighed in, saying it doesn’t bode well for Canada.
"The leak of sensitive military plans by senior US officials means Canadians must 'look out for themselves.'" – Mark Carney
The recent incident has caught the attention of Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee. They’re currently looking into whether the information discussed in the private chat was classified. This criticism is meant to figure out whether there was a breach of protocol about the exchange and use of sensitive military information.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a fierce critic of the situation, was joined in his indignation by a Rep. Jeffries.
“The so-called Secretary of Defense recklessly and casually disclosed highly sensitive war plans — including the timing of a pending attack, possible strike targets and the weapons to be used — during an unclassified national security group chat that inexplicably included a reporter. His behavior shocks the conscience, risked American lives and likely violated the law.” – Hakeem Jeffries
The joint criminal investigation provides precedent for future proceedings that might affect the communication of military operations and their execution, as we see in this case. The incident has since prompted serious questions about the protocols in place for secure and unsecure communications among national security officials.
“I’m just continuing my reporting. More TK (to come).” – Jeffrey Goldberg
