'Amateur hour': Flabbergasted experts react as top secret war plans shared with reporter
A bombshell report in The Atlantic revealed that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared classified information in a Signal chat that included a reporter among its membership. It's something that officials, national security experts and critics claim would sink careers in a standard administration.
National security lawyer Bradley P. Moss wrote, "So to be clear: 1) these folks weren’t using the highly secure networks we pay billions to maintain. 2) we have no indication if they’re keeping copies of these chats for Federal Records Act compliance. 3) a lot of this sounds like classified info. 4) ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME."
"This @JeffreyGoldberg story must be read to be believed - and even then, it's hard to wrap your head around the nation's seniormost national security officials accidentally putting the editor of the Atlantic in their Signal chat and sending him war plans," posted Inside Elections deputy editor Jacob Rubashkin.
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CNBC senior Washington correspondent Eamon Javers noted, "This story is absolutely unreal. Incredible stuff. The idea of the entire US national security team accidentally cc’ing a journalist to a classified war plan is incredible enough. But don’t miss the very revealing texts by Vice President JD Vance expressing hostility to European military 'freeloading.' Great insight here into how the Trump administration thinks."
Former State Department spokesperson Matt Miller pointed out the criminality of the scandal, "You don’t even have to do the 'what about her emails' thing. In any other admin, R or D, there would be an immediate FBI investigation, and there should be here as well."
"Biggest 'more Veep than House of Cards' moment I've ever seen," cracked Business Insider reporter Bryan Metzger said on X.
The Atlantic's Shane Harris confessed, "In 25 years of covering national security, I’ve never seen a story like this: Senior Trump officials discussed planning for the U.S. attack on the Houthis in a Signal group--and inadvertently added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic."
National security expert Marcy Wheeler called Hegseth "the biggest dumb--- imaginable." She recalled his claim that transgender members of the military "harm readiness. Meanwhile he's sending war plans to journalists on Signal."
Veteran Charlotte Clymer wrote, "If an Army private accidentally texted the details of a classified military operation to a reporter, let alone transmitted any classified information to anyone who was unauthorized over an unsecured device, they’d be immediately charged and likely spend time in Leavenworth. But it’s Pete Hegseth, just the Secretary of Defense, so he probably won’t be charged."
"What I find notable about the exchanges is that the Trump team genuinely seem to think that these strikes decisively solve the issue of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea in the way that Biden did not or would not," said The Economist's defense editor Shashank Joshi.
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) shared the story saying, "Pete Hegseth texting out war plans like invites to a frat party."
Marine and CBS News reporter Jim LaPorta sarcastically quipped, "Love the transparency @DODResponse - can I get an invite to this group chat?"
"Amateur hour. These are the geniuses that are also selling out Ukraine and destroying our alliances all around the world. No wonder Putin is embarrassing them at the negotiation table," said Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).