Trump and intelligence chiefs play down Signal group chat leak

Trump and intelligence chiefs play down Signal group chat leak 2 hours ago Share Save Bernd Debusmann Jr at the White House & Brandon Drenon on Capitol Hill BBC News, Washington Share Save Watch: Key reactions to reports of a leaked group chat involving Trump officials US President Donald Trump and his intelligence chiefs have played down a security breach that saw a journalist invited on to a Signal group chat where he reported seeing national security officials plan airstrikes in Yemen. US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe denied at a Senate hearing that any classified information was shared in the message chain. But Democrats on the panel rebuked the cabinet members as "incompetent" with national security. Over at the White House, Trump was joined by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who was at the centre of the leak. The president stood by him and insisted the incident did not affect the military operation. The revelation has sent shockwaves through Washington, prompting questions about why high-ranking officials discussed such sensitive matters on a potentially vulnerable civilian app. Atlantic magazine editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to the 18-member group, apparently by accident, and reported that he initially thought it was a hoax. But he said he realised the messages were authentic once the planned raid was carried out in Yemen. Trump's national security team's chat app leak stuns Washington Five takeaways from leaked US top military chat group Live updates from the hearing Some 53 people were killed in the 15 March airstrikes, which US officials said targeted Iran-aligned Houthi rebels who have threatened maritime trade and Israel. The American raids have continued since then, including early on Tuesday morning. In addition to Ratcliffe and Gabbard, the Signal group chat included Vice-President JD Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The controversy overshadowed Tuesday's hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which was originally meant to focus on drug cartels and people trafficking. Watch: Mike Waltz says he doesn’t know journalist who was added to group chat During the at-times combative session, Ratcliffe said he was not aware of any specific operational information on weapons, targets or timings discussed in the chat, as Goldberg had reported. Asked if he believed the leak was a huge mistake, Ratcliffe said: "No." Gabbard repeatedly said "no classified information" was divulged and maintained there was a difference between "inadvertent release" and "malicious leaks" of information. Disdain for Europe in US Signal chat horrifies EU Three rules potentially breached by the leak Senate Democrats assailed the two officials. Colorado's Michael Bennet accused those involved in the chat of sloppiness, incompetence and disrespect for US intelligence agencies. Georgia's Jon Ossoff described the episode - which Washington has dubbed Signalgate - as an "embarrassment". "This is utterly unprofessional. There's been no apology," Ossoff said. "There has been no recognition of the gravity of this error." Watch: President Trump says he will 'look into' government use of Signal messaging app Republicans on the panel were far more muted in their misgivings. "We dodged a bullet," said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. A White House statement cast the controversy as a "co-ordinated effort" to distract from the president's accomplishments. Trump called into NBC News on Tuesday to defend his national security adviser, who was reported to have admitted Goldberg to the group chat. "Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man," said Trump. He also said Goldberg's addition to the group was a "glitch" that had "no impact at all" operationally. The Republican president indicated it was one of Waltz's aides who had invited the journalist to the chat. "A staffer had his number on there," said Trump, who has long pilloried reporting by Goldberg going back to the 2020 election. Watch: Goldberg says officials got 'lucky’ it was him inadvertently added to group chat