Summary

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied allegations that he texted classified war plans to a Signal group chat that mistakenly included The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg.

The National Security Council confirmed the chat’s authenticity but called the inclusion of Goldberg an inadvertent mistake.

Lawmakers from both parties demanded investigations, with former CIA Director Leon Panetta warning of potential espionage violations.

Hegseth dismissed Goldberg as a “deceitful” journalist. Trump denied knowledge of the incident.

  • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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    17 days ago

    He knows they have the screenshots and the NSC confirmed it, right?

    https://x.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/1904221405618577650

    NSC 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.” - NSC Spokesman Brian Hughes

    The Trump administration does not deny this Signal group chat about the war planning for the Yemen strikes is real. Trump’s top national security advisers added reporter

    @JeffreyGoldberg

    @TheAtlantic

    to the war planning text chain on non-government social media app, perhaps breaking secrecy laws. Read this shocking story below.

  • The_Caretaker@lemm.ee
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    16 days ago

    The classified plans aren’t allowed out of the SCIF and the phone isn’t allowed in the SCIF. Anything you learn in the SCIF cannot be stored, shared, or spoken about outside of a SCIF especially on electronic media. If anyone in the military did this, like lets say Chelsea Manning, and shared it with a journalist, like say Julian Assange, they would end up in prison for a while.

    • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      All that is true. In addition, those communications are subject to records retention laws, so using signal and flagging them to be deleted is illegal in itself.

  • The_Caretaker@lemm.ee
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    16 days ago

    Getting blackout drunk and sending texts isn’t uncommon for raging alcoholics. Source: I used to be an alcoholic (sober for 6 years)

    • chetradley@lemm.ee
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      16 days ago

      These dipshits can’t get their thumbs out of each other’s butts long enough to get their story straight. I’d laugh if I thought there would be any real consequences for this nonsense.

      Only 46 months to go…

  • maplebar@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    These fucking guys only ever lie and deny.

    Are we really too stupid and weak as a country to be able to do anything about this?

    • pubquiz@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      It would seem the case - the US is impotent while the sitting president twiddles his thumbs and denies knowing his upper eschelon staff are using unsecure comms. Makes me laugh about the tough-guy image they want versus the limp-dick energy the display.

  • corroded@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    Even if everyone in the chat had a need-to-know, you do not use insecure 3rd-party software for classified communications. Secure networks already exist for this.

  • pleasegoaway@lemm.ee
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    16 days ago

    Sooo Pete didn’t do it, but trump also says that Pete learned his lesson?

    US is a joke. A very dangerous joke.

    • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      Admit it but say it isn’t a big deal, but also deny that it ever happened. Let your followers pick whichever version they prefer. Profit!

  • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    Why is nobody talking about the fact that we are bombing Yemen? Yes, including a random person in a text channel talking classified information is a problem. But, why are we just brushing off the actual chat contents?

    • HalfSalesman@lemm.ee
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      16 days ago

      I don’t think we’re ignoring that, so much as there is an overwhelming amount of bad shit to talk about stemming from this single incident.

      And to be honest the bigger issue revealed here isn’t the failure to protect classified information or that they’re bombing Yemen (In a vacuum at least) right now but the fact that they are violating the law also by using an app that destroys documentation of their conversations. This has implications not only legally or militaristically but also that they know they want to do shit that would be illegal and evil enough that they don’t even want to use standard classified channels, not just bombing of Yemen but probably more future evil shit.

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      They’re bombing the Houthis rebels who are (were?) fucking with the red sea shipping route to protest Israel, but I’m not sure how much they’re still fucking with it today. The Yemen government isn’t fully in control of Yemen.

  • TheBrit@lemm.ee
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    16 days ago

    Disgusting comments about Europe in the group chat. The USA is a pariah state; the sooner we disentangle from it, the better.

    • andallthat@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      yes, so typical and yet so effective so far.

      Phase 1: eat a baby in plain view at a crowded event

      Phase 2: get really angry and personally attack anybody who mentions it and their employer

      Phase 3: after a few days just roll your eyes and dismiss with “again with that baby thing?”

      If nothing serious happens right after phase 1, holding onto this as future political ammo seems to be worthless. I really hope I’m wrong and that the accumulation of these things is enough to turn enough of Trump’s base against him but they accumulated a whole fricking lot by now and there is still room for more…