Signal-gate: Trump officials deny classified information was shared in group chat

Jeffrey Goldbergjournalist

It’s mind-boggling to me that all these senior folks were on this line and nobody bothered to even check. Security hygiene 101: who are all the names?”

Warner told the hearing

The White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on a number of different platforms for President Trump’s top officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible,

she said

The leaders on that group chat are extraordinary people, I know them all personally, they’re patriots, they’re doing a great job for the country, and that was a successful mission,

Johnson said

Ron Wydensenator

I am of the view that there ought to be resignations, starting with the national security adviser and the secretary of defense,

Mr. Wyden said

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,

Mr. Jeffries wrote

There was no classified information, as I understand it, they used an app if you want to call it an app. That's an app that a lot of people use."

Trump also told reporters in the White House on Tuesday

Any unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated as such."

She concluded with a tweet that read

Tulsi Gabbardnational Intelligence Director

Our nation's Intelligence Community must be focused on our national security mission. Politically motivated leaks undermine our national security and the trust of the American people, and will not be tolerated."

On March 14, Gabbard wrote on X, formerly Twitter

Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability. That ends now. We know of and are aggressively pursuing recent leakers from within the Intelligence Community and will hold them accountable,

the tweet read

It appears to me there are some unanswered questions,

the Indiana Republican said

They ought to just be honest and own up to it."

Asked about the White House claim that no classified details were shared, Bacon responded

Director Ratcliffe, surely you prepared for this hearing today,

Ossoff said

And your testimony as the director of the CIA, is that it's totally appropriate" to conduct conversations like this on Signal

Bennet asked

John Ratcliffe (American politician)cIA Director

I don't know how he was added, ... You don't know that the president's national security advisor invited him to join the signal thread,

Ratcliffe said, before Bennet interrupted, asking ... referring to national security advisor Mike Waltz

I'm a little staggered that that is your view, Director Ratcliffe."

Bennet said this

This sloppiness, this incompetence, this disrespect for our intelligence agencies and the personnel who work for them is entirely unacceptable. It's an embarrassment,

The back-and-forth wrapped with a blistering remand from Bennet, who told Ratcliffe of the Signal chat ... he said

Does the CIA have any rules about [the] handling of classified information?"

he asked

Clearly, ‘nothing to see here,’ is what your testimony is,

Bennet said

John Ratcliffe (American politician)cIA Director

I didn’t say any of those things."

CIA Director John Ratcliffe clashed with a Democratic senator Tuesday over the lawmaker’s description of the Trump administration’s leaked Signal chat – pushing back multiple times before snapping

John Ratcliffe (American politician)cIA Director

I can again confirm that with respect to the communications that were related as to me, there was no classified information,

Ratcliffe added