They were chosen to know everything about the threats gravitating to America, but are unable to guard its secrets. It was a bad debut for the top intelligence brass who, in their first meeting with the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, had to explain how it was possible that the editor of The Atlantic was invited to take part in the online chat where the bombing of Yemen was planned, instead of discussing global threats facing the country.
Jeffrey Goldberg wrote in a lengthy article in the storied weekly on Monday that he was surprised at the invitation extended to him by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to take part in the chat, and believed it was a joke. Then, after reading the scathing messages against Europe that Trump’s advisers exchanged as they prepared military action to protect shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and strike the Houthis, detailing information about the targets to be hit and the weapons to be used, he realized that the conversation was real. After these sensational revelations, the hearing of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and FBI Director Kash Patel turned into a heavy indictment of the negligence displayed by military and intelligence leadership.
A public hearing was held in the morning, at which senators criticized – bordering on insult – the White House organizational apparatus. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chairman of the committee, denounced what he called “sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior” by the country’s top intelligence officials. Ron Wyden of Oregon suggested that Defense Secretary Hegseth and National Security Adviser Waltz should resign. And Jon Ossoff of Georgia appeared stunned when he asked Ratcliffe to confirm whether he thought a huge mistake had been made, and the CIA director responded with one word: “no.”
Ratcliffe acknowledged that it was “of course not” appropriate for Goldberg to have been invited into the chat, and that he “did not know how” that had occurred.
Kash Patel, the FBI director, looking increasingly stunned, refused to say whether the FBI had launched an investigation into the lack of basic operational security.
In the afternoon then Gabbard, Ratcliffe and Patel again appeared before the committee, but the hearing was held behind closed doors.
Democrats, who remember well the vicious attacks on Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State, called for an immediate investigation.
Delaware Senator Chris Coons, head of Democratic representation on the Budget Committee, even claimed that all the participants in the chat “committed a crime — even if accidentally — that would normally involve a jail sentence.”
After this affair, the tenure of Mike Waltz, the Homeland Security adviser who made the blatant mistake, is at risk.
Politico reveals that half of the president’s staff says Waltz “will not or should not survive” this blizzard. In particular, two senior advisers have floated the idea of the former Florida congressman’s resignation so as not to put the president “in a bad position.”
“It was irresponsible not to check who was in the chat, irresponsible to have that conversation on Signal, you can’t have such an irresponsible National Security Advisor,” one of the sources told Politico.
Some of the most MAGA-connected senators who have always doubted Mike Walz’s loyalty to this administration want his resignation, given his long and close ties to former Vice President Dick Cheney. For now, Donald Trump defends him. In an interview with NBC News, Trump called the incident a “technical problem.” “Michael Waltz,” Trump said, “has learned his lesson.” The president downplayed the incident, saying Goldberg’s presence in the chat had no impact on military operations. “One of Waltz’s aides had his number in his address book that he added by mistake,” the president explained. Trump reiterated confidence in his staff, stressing that he was not concerned about what happened.
According to Politico, Trump was reportedly more irritated by the conversation held between Vice President JD Vance with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and adviser Steve Miller, who wanted to delay intervention in Yemen by a month so as not to do a favor to the Europeans whose ships are the ones targeted in the Red Sea. The harsh words for American allies echoed Vice President Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference last month. “I just hate bailing out Europe again,” he wrote in a message published by Goldberg in The Atlantic, adding: “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike [Waltz] is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this,” Hegseth responds. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,” asserts JD Vance.
It remains to be seen how the president, who notoriously does not accept criticism, will react to the words of his heir apparent.
