Exactly my point. Hired for the way he looks, not due to any merit or experience. I think to Trump, he looks the part, he just cannot run the largest US government department...
Trump administration accidentally texts reporter war plans
- Thread starter versitile1
- Start date
A jag I know says anyone who did what hegseth did would be immediately relieved of command, and an investigation started and likely criminal charges.
Because the SecDef is usually a civilian, the DOJ would be the ones to snap into action. Immediately. Not waiting to test the political winds.
If there is no DOJ investigation, then the failure to do so is a corrupt action.
Nothing, and I mean Nothing, disheartens the troops more than double standards, where an act that they for sure would get arrested and gaoled is brushed off by their supposed leader. Real leadership is accountable. Corrupt regimes are not. People with honor are accountable. Loyalist apparatchiks are not.
BTW, the public usually feels this way too.
Remember the blinding outrage at Boris Johnson having cocktail parties during the extreme UK lockdown, where people could not even be with their dying loved ones? Or Gavin Newsome going out to dinner with a dozen pals whilst California was in lock down?
Because the SecDef is usually a civilian, the DOJ would be the ones to snap into action. Immediately. Not waiting to test the political winds.
If there is no DOJ investigation, then the failure to do so is a corrupt action.
Nothing, and I mean Nothing, disheartens the troops more than double standards, where an act that they for sure would get arrested and gaoled is brushed off by their supposed leader. Real leadership is accountable. Corrupt regimes are not. People with honor are accountable. Loyalist apparatchiks are not.
BTW, the public usually feels this way too.
Remember the blinding outrage at Boris Johnson having cocktail parties during the extreme UK lockdown, where people could not even be with their dying loved ones? Or Gavin Newsome going out to dinner with a dozen pals whilst California was in lock down?
if I was a US undercover agent in Russia I’d be looking to get out and get a private security job as soon as that Russian whore got elected.
Absolutely.
Again, the extraordinary damage to USA security done by these morons who have no idea how things work and no experience is breathtaking. The Chinese and Russians are overjoyed watching the USA unilaterally take down all the things that gave the USA a leg up on these awful totalitarian regimes.
Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal
The administration has downplayed the importance of the text messages inadvertently sent to The Atlantic’s editor in chief.
www.theatlantic.com
WASHINGTON − The Atlantic magazine on Wednesday published the full text chain from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top Trump officials detailing operations to carry out U.S. military airstrikes in a Signal chat group with a reporter present after the White House denied "war plans" had been shared.
Among other details, Hegseth disclosed the timing of planned airstrikes by U.S. attack jets and armed drones on militant Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15, according to an account by The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. Goldberg was inadvertantly added to a group chat, called "Houthi PC Small Group," where President Donald Trump's top national security officials discussed hitting Iran-backed Houthi sites.
The report includes screen shots of the group texts, which detail drone targets, sequencing of the attacks and the type of weaponry used.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
Goldberg and fellow Atlantic reporter Shane Harris said the magazine had previously withheld publicizing Hegseth's texts out of concern for the sensitive nature of the information. Goldberg had been mistakenly invited to the chat by Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and was observing the group's conversations, unbeknownst to the 18 Trump officials in the chat.
But after Trump officials insisted Tuesday that no classified material was shared in the chat ‒ and downplayed the gravity of the breach ‒ the magazine's journalists said they decided to disclose the messages to let people "reach their own conclusions."
According to a story published by Goldberg on Wednesday morning, Hegseth at 11:44 a.m. on March 15 ‒ about 30 minutes before the first airstrikes ‒ sent an update to the group that read: "TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch.”
More: Trump admin scrambles to defend group text leak as investigations begin: recap
Hegseth then detailed the timeline for the airstrikes in texts:
- “1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”
- “1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)”
Hegseth later wrote:
- “1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”
- “1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)”
- “1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.”
- “MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)”
- “We are currently clean on OPSEC”—that is, operational security.
- “Godspeed to our Warriors.”
Trump's White House on Tuesday continued to dispute the initial Atlantic report about "war plans" being discussed in the chat, noting that The Atlantic's headline describes the information as "attack plans," not war plans like Monday's initial story.
"The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT 'war plans,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin."
Get unlimited digital access to USA TODAY and premium Sports+ storiesOne month free
Get it now
Waltz, in a statement on the release of the messages, said: "No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS. Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent. BOTTOM LINE: President Trump is protecting America and our interests."
More: But her e-mails? Here is how Trump's team reacted to a Hillary Clinton security breach
Shorty after Hegseth's initial updates the day of the attack, according to The Atlantic, Vice President JD Vance texted the group, “I will say a prayer for victory.”
Waltz then provided updates on real-time conditions of the target sites, according to The Atlantic.
“VP. Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID. Pete, Kurilla, the IC, amazing job," Waltz wrote, referring to Hegseth; General Michael E. Kurilla, the commander of Central Command; and the intelligence community, or IC.
Waltz later texted: "Typing too fast. The first target – their top missile guy – we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.”
Waltz, Vance and CIA Director John Ratcliffe each took turns in the chat applauding the success of the operations.
(L-R) National Security Agency Director General Timothy Haugh, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Jeffrey Kruse prepare to testify during an annual worldwide threats assessment hearing at the Longworth House Office Building on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. The hearing held by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence addressed top aides inadvertently including Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic magazine, on a high level Trump administration Signal group chat discussing plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen.© Kayla Bartkowski, Getty Images
Hegseth alerted group chat of more Yemen attacks to come
Later, Hegseth wrote: “CENTCOM was/is on point," before telling the group more strikes would be coming. “Great job all. More strikes ongoing for hours tonight, and will provide full initial report tomorrow. But on time, on target, and good readouts so far.”
Trump and his administration have scrambled to minimize the fallout after the Signal chat fiasco by downplaying the gravity of the breach, touting the success of the military operation and lashing out at the reporter.
Yet Goldberg's account raised new questions about why Trump's national security team would use a commercial phone app to discuss sensitive plans to conduct airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthi sites in Yemen.
It also exposed what appears to be recklessness for Waltz to inadvertently invite a journalist into a chat group that included top administration officials including Vance, Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others.
More: 'It's embarrassing': Trump national security adviser Waltz takes responsibility for war plan leak
Reporter shares screengrab showing Waltz's invitation to chat
Waltz told Fox News on Tuesday he took “full responsibility" for the reporter's presence in the Signal chat of Trump administration officials. "I take full responsibility. I built the group," Waltz said on "The Ingraham Angle." "It's embarrassing. We're going to get to the bottom of it."
Yet Waltz told reporters he’s never met Goldberg and will investigate "how the heck" he got into the Signal chat group ‒ even though Goldberg has said he was invited by Waltz.
Among the screenshots published in Wednesday's Atlantic story is one detailing Goldberg's initial introduction to the Signal chat. It reads: "Mike Waltz added you to the group."
Trump on Tuesday attacked Goldberg as a "total sleazebag," argued no classified information was shared in the Signal chat and defended Walz, saying he has no reason to apologize. “It’s just something that can happen," Trump said of the breach. "You can even prepare for it, and it can happen.”
You meant to type "a DUI hire", obviously.
I love it that he is going on the attack! It's sickening how Hegseth the drunk and the Press Secretary, the ex stripper are trying to shift the blame onto the journalist.Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal
The administration has downplayed the importance of the text messages inadvertently sent to The Atlantic’s editor in chief.
Why are we insulting DUI folks? These scumbags are worst if that is even possible.
Yup, he sucked on Fox Fake News and now he is a total disaster in one of the most important position in the US government. The only one in the cabinet with half a brain and faking his disdain through it to keep power is Rubio. You can see on his face that what comes out of his mouth is not what is really believes.
As did the Biden admin. It has been established that this is the standard procedure they were trained on to use.
Damn right they were stupid. My question is, if they have the tech, and you need to show proof if an actual dedicated system in place, why not use it.
So what is this system you claim they have, and didn't the previous admin use it?
My answer is, they don't.
Watching Tulsi Gabbard squirm and refuse to answer questions is ironic given @Butler1000 ’s assurance that she was going to to clean up the intelligence services and hold people accountable…smh
The National Security adviser is not under her control, unfortunately. But I agree she came off quite shitty here and needs to do better.
She certainly didn't look happy with the situation. I think she sees the failure here.
Ummm…No
“A Department of Defense memo from 2023 under the Biden administration detailed that while Signal was approved for some use by government officials, they could not use the platform to "access, transmit, process non-public DoD information."
Biden-era guidance encouraged use of Signal app by highly-targeted govt officials: 'Best practice'
A Biden-era Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) best guidance document shows highly-targeted government employees were encouraged to use Signal.
This paragraph makes no sense. Try checking your grammar an re-writing it.
None of us know the secret platforms the government uses to communicate classified info, including the Trump administration apparently.
Link where that is established? I heard it claimed that Signal was already installed on their devices, but that doesn't mean they were told it was okay to use for these types of communications.
I'm sure they were supplied with standard email too, but the morons seemed to know enough not to use that.
I think so too but she can’t admit it or say so out loud because she sold her soul to Orange Satan in exchange for power.
