Trump advisers criticized Dems for mishandling secrets in a discussion about war plans
A former Defense official explained the reasoning behind the presence of alternative devices, stating, “That’s why we have other devices.”
TroibNews 
Officials from the Trump administration who participated in a Signal group chat discussing potentially classified information had long been vocal critics of Democrats for taking significant risks with government secrets.
According to a report from The Atlantic, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently included editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a text messaging group where leaders were deliberating on the Pentagon's military actions against Yemen's Houthi fighters.
This unusual situation turned some of the nation's top national security officials into figures of hypocrisy and potential lawbreakers.
In the chat were Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. All of them have critiqued high-profile Democrats for their handling of classified information, especially former President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Biden’s sitting National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sent Top Secret messages to Hillary Clinton’s private account,” Waltz tweeted in 2023, referencing a PMG report about Sullivan’s emails to Clinton's Gmail account, which the State Department viewed as government secrets. “And what did DOJ do about it? Not a damn thing.”
Hegseth, who allegedly disclosed sensitive military information about the strike's targets and weapons in the group chat, has been a staunch adversary of Clinton’s use of a private email system and Biden's classified document management. He expressed particularly strong opinions following the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s office and home.
“If the top man in the job handled classified documents this flippantly for that long, why was that the case?” Hegseth asked during a segment on Fox News in 2023. “Was it really that he didn’t know? Because when you take something out of a [secure classified information facility] if you’re a senator, you know exactly what you’re doing.”
Following the news, Hegseth shared a video of himself observing an aerial refueling of his aircraft during the initial segment of a weeklong trip to Asia. Both the Defense Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Hegseth had also been a prominent critic of Clinton amid the controversy over her private internet server.
"If it was anyone other than Hillary Clinton, they would be in jail right now,” he stated in 2016 while working as a Fox News anchor. “Because the assumption is in the intelligence community, if you are using unclassified means, there is... likelihood that foreign governments are targeting those accounts.”
The use of a Signal group chat raises similar concerns about whether discussing classified military initiatives over personal devices could present a national security threat. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, who also communicated in the chat, had previously tweeted about this exact concern regarding Clinton’s private emails in 2022.
Foreign “adversaries could easily hack classified ops & intel in real time from other side of the globe,” he noted.
The Atlantic also mentioned that some messages in the Signal chat were set to delete shortly after being sent, which may violate federal law mandating that officials retain records of communications.
“That’s why we have other devices,” said a former Defense official involved in military planning who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues. “That’s why you get a secure [video teleconference] that’s set up in your room. That’s why people just go to the White House.”
Rubio has similarly condemned Clinton and other top Democrats for their supposed mishandling of classified documents over the years.
“When I’m president of the United States neither she nor any of these other people are going to be above the law,” Rubio stated during a Fox News appearance in January 2016, referencing Clinton’s use of private emails for official matters. “People are going to be held accountable if they broke the laws of this country.”
Ratcliffe had often advocated for the prosecution of officials who mishandle classified information.
“It's always a good thing that we see that there is investigation and prosecution of folks if they're not handling that information appropriately,” he commented in 2018 while serving as a Texas lawmaker in the House.
Following the revelations, Trump administration allies on Capitol Hill, who typically are quick to criticize Democrats regarding classified information, remained silent.
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated on Monday that Waltz and Hegseth should not face disciplinary action for discussing the military strikes via text.
The situation is likely to cast the Trump administration in an unflattering light, especially coming just days after the Defense Department announced plans to address leaks more decisively. Multiple news outlets have reported that Elon Musk attended a military briefing at the Pentagon concerning China, potentially presenting a conflict of interest issue for the billionaire defense contractor.
Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff, indicated that the agency is initiating an investigation into the leaks. Senior Pentagon officials have also argued that military leaders should be held to stricter standards regarding the safeguarding of weapons and sensitive information.
“If you have a private that loses a sensitive item, that loses night vision goggles, that loses a weapon, you can bet that that private is going to be held accountable,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a briefing last week. “The same and equal standards must apply to senior military leaders.”
Ian Smith for TROIB News
According to a report from The Atlantic, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently included editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a text messaging group where leaders were deliberating on the Pentagon's military actions against Yemen's Houthi fighters.
This unusual situation turned some of the nation's top national security officials into figures of hypocrisy and potential lawbreakers.
In the chat were Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. All of them have critiqued high-profile Democrats for their handling of classified information, especially former President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Biden’s sitting National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sent Top Secret messages to Hillary Clinton’s private account,” Waltz tweeted in 2023, referencing a PMG report about Sullivan’s emails to Clinton's Gmail account, which the State Department viewed as government secrets. “And what did DOJ do about it? Not a damn thing.”
Hegseth, who allegedly disclosed sensitive military information about the strike's targets and weapons in the group chat, has been a staunch adversary of Clinton’s use of a private email system and Biden's classified document management. He expressed particularly strong opinions following the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s office and home.
“If the top man in the job handled classified documents this flippantly for that long, why was that the case?” Hegseth asked during a segment on Fox News in 2023. “Was it really that he didn’t know? Because when you take something out of a [secure classified information facility] if you’re a senator, you know exactly what you’re doing.”
Following the news, Hegseth shared a video of himself observing an aerial refueling of his aircraft during the initial segment of a weeklong trip to Asia. Both the Defense Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Hegseth had also been a prominent critic of Clinton amid the controversy over her private internet server.
"If it was anyone other than Hillary Clinton, they would be in jail right now,” he stated in 2016 while working as a Fox News anchor. “Because the assumption is in the intelligence community, if you are using unclassified means, there is... likelihood that foreign governments are targeting those accounts.”
The use of a Signal group chat raises similar concerns about whether discussing classified military initiatives over personal devices could present a national security threat. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, who also communicated in the chat, had previously tweeted about this exact concern regarding Clinton’s private emails in 2022.
Foreign “adversaries could easily hack classified ops & intel in real time from other side of the globe,” he noted.
The Atlantic also mentioned that some messages in the Signal chat were set to delete shortly after being sent, which may violate federal law mandating that officials retain records of communications.
“That’s why we have other devices,” said a former Defense official involved in military planning who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues. “That’s why you get a secure [video teleconference] that’s set up in your room. That’s why people just go to the White House.”
Rubio has similarly condemned Clinton and other top Democrats for their supposed mishandling of classified documents over the years.
“When I’m president of the United States neither she nor any of these other people are going to be above the law,” Rubio stated during a Fox News appearance in January 2016, referencing Clinton’s use of private emails for official matters. “People are going to be held accountable if they broke the laws of this country.”
Ratcliffe had often advocated for the prosecution of officials who mishandle classified information.
“It's always a good thing that we see that there is investigation and prosecution of folks if they're not handling that information appropriately,” he commented in 2018 while serving as a Texas lawmaker in the House.
Following the revelations, Trump administration allies on Capitol Hill, who typically are quick to criticize Democrats regarding classified information, remained silent.
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated on Monday that Waltz and Hegseth should not face disciplinary action for discussing the military strikes via text.
The situation is likely to cast the Trump administration in an unflattering light, especially coming just days after the Defense Department announced plans to address leaks more decisively. Multiple news outlets have reported that Elon Musk attended a military briefing at the Pentagon concerning China, potentially presenting a conflict of interest issue for the billionaire defense contractor.
Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff, indicated that the agency is initiating an investigation into the leaks. Senior Pentagon officials have also argued that military leaders should be held to stricter standards regarding the safeguarding of weapons and sensitive information.
“If you have a private that loses a sensitive item, that loses night vision goggles, that loses a weapon, you can bet that that private is going to be held accountable,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a briefing last week. “The same and equal standards must apply to senior military leaders.”
Ian Smith for TROIB News
