WASHINGTON — Sen. Angus King (I-ME) left the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday unsatisfied with the answers he heard in a hearing with top officials in President Donald Trump's administration.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were among a group that testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee about recent reports detailing a Signal discussion chat that may have involved classified information.
A bombshell report in The Atlantic claimed that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared secret war plans in a Signal chat that included a reporter among its membership.
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The story reveals a Signal chat among top officials in President Donald Trump's Cabinet who discussed classified military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. Gabbard and Ratcliffe disputed that the information was classified but also maintained they couldn't discuss what was in the thread.
"I think they're not being up-front about it, and I think it would be much better if they acknowledged this was a huge mistake. It won't happen again, and what they're doing to try and prevent it rather than all of this dancing around," King told reporters.
He complained that Gabbard even refused to answer which phone she used.
"I mean, that's a pretty easy question," said King.
When asked why the officials refused to answer questions, King said he thinks they "are embarrassed" about the ordeal. He explained that in his experience, it's better to admit mistakes and try to move on rather than "play the kind of games they were playing today."
King, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he's certainly interested in hearing from Hegseth on the matter but hasn't discussed it with committee chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).
"I don't know what the intentions are, but to say repeatedly it isn't classified but we can't talk about it, there's something that doesn't work there," King said.
When Raw Story asked about Hegseth blaming The Atlantic reporter who was placed in the chat, King said it's like "shoot the messenger."
He called it a "tried and true method to avoid dealing with the substance of the issue. This is a very serious issue, and it should be treated as such. Not something that should be obscured, danced around [or] avoided."
He continued by saying they should have begun the hearing by acknowledging the scandal, apologizing, and pledging it wouldn't happen again.