Trump Downplays Signal Yemen Strike Leak, Calling it a ‘Minor Glitch’/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump downplayed a security breach involving texted military plans on Signal, calling it a “glitch.” Democrats demanded accountability after a journalist was mistakenly included in the group chat discussing strikes in Yemen. Intelligence officials denied sharing classified information, but lawmakers remain alarmed.
Military Message Leak Quick Looks
- Trump says Signal chat mishap was a minor “glitch.”
- National Security Adviser Mike Waltz mistakenly added journalist to group chat.
- Texts involved operational details of U.S. strikes in Yemen.
- Democrats outraged, calling the breach “reckless” and demanding resignations.
- DNI Gabbard and CIA Director Ratcliffe testified no classified info was shared.
- FBI Director Patel said he was recently briefed on the matter.
- Sen. Warner warned the leak could have risked American lives.
- Hillary Clinton posted criticism, citing Trump’s past email scandal attacks.
- White House dismissed uproar as political distraction from military success.
- Officials agreed to audit Signal usage amid growing scrutiny.
Trump Downplays Signal Yemen Strike Leak, Calling it a ‘Minor Glitch’
Deep Look
President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed the leak of sensitive military planning via Signal group chat as a non-issue, calling it “the only glitch in two months” of his new administration and praising national security adviser Mike Waltz despite bipartisan concern over national security procedures.
Speaking to NBC News, Trump said the incident “turned out not to be a serious one,” suggesting it was the result of a staff error that inadvertently added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a group chat involving 18 top officials discussing planned U.S. airstrikes in Yemen.
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump said, while appearing to shift partial blame to a staffer in Waltz’s office.
But Democrats were far less forgiving. In a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, lawmakers grilled senior officials over the decision to use a publicly available messaging app to share military information.
Senators Demand Accountability
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) called the incident “an embarrassment,” while Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said “there ought to be resignations.” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) warned that the Houthis could have used the leaked data to reposition defenses, potentially putting American lives at risk.
Democratic criticism was especially pointed given Trump’s past fixation on Hillary Clinton’s private email server, a controversy that dominated the 2016 election. Clinton herself weighed in via social media, writing: “You have got to be kidding me,” accompanied by an eyes emoji and a link to the Atlantic story.
Despite the uproar, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe insisted during testimony that no classified material was shared.
“My communications in the Signal group were entirely lawful and permissible,” Ratcliffe told the panel.
Gabbard, who said she was traveling overseas during the exchange, refused to say whether she used a personal or government-issued phone, citing an ongoing review.
FBI, White House Respond
FBI Director Kash Patel, also present at the hearing, said he had only recently been briefed on the situation and could not yet confirm whether an investigation had been opened. Sen. Warner requested a status update from the FBI by the end of the day.
In a White House statement, press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of exaggerating the situation for political purposes, calling it “a coordinated effort to distract from the successful actions taken by President Trump and his administration to make America’s enemies pay and keep Americans safe.”
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, another member of the chat, dismissed the controversy entirely. “Nobody was texting war plans,” he told reporters Monday, while attacking Goldberg as a “discredited so-called journalist.”
Goldberg reported that the Signal messages included details such as targets, sequencing, and weapons used in strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. He said Vice President JD Vance expressed concern in the chat that President Trump didn’t fully understand the stakes of the operation—comments that sparked further questions about White House decision-making.
Signal’s Role Under Scrutiny
The breach has also drawn fresh attention to the use of Signal, a secure messaging app that uses end-to-end encryption and is popular among privacy advocates, journalists, and some government officials.
Signal’s protocol, which also powers WhatsApp, ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages. But its lack of identity verification and reliance on stored contact data make it susceptible to accidental inclusion of unintended participants—as appeared to be the case with Goldberg.
Former national security officials from the Biden administration said that Signal was occasionally permitted on White House-issued phones but restricted to low-sensitivity communications, such as scheduling or travel coordination. Officials were instructed to avoid sharing classified information on the app.
The app’s popularity reportedly surged during the final year of the Biden presidency amid concerns over Chinese and Iranian cyberattacks on U.S. networks.
Still, Sen. Angus King (I-ME) questioned how officials could claim that the material wasn’t classified. “It’s hard for me to believe that targets and timing and weapons would not have been classified,” he said.
What Happens Next?
Gabbard and Ratcliffe both said they would participate in a White House audit examining Signal’s use across agencies. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, will press for more answers in a separate hearing on Wednesday.
The fallout over the text chain leak has become an early test of Trump’s second-term handling of intelligence, transparency, and discipline within his national security ranks. For now, the administration is standing by its top officials—but pressure is mounting.
You must Register or Login to post a comment.