Lawmakers and national security experts are looking for answers after reports that top Trump administration officials discussed highly sensitive military operations over a message app.
Trump’s administration denies any classified material was released, but a retired war planner, who worked years in the Pentagon, says we live in a different time and we can never be too careful with sensitive information.
Lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services committee grilled high-level Trump Administration officials about a report that they were discussing classified military information over the encrypted, but not government approved messaging app…Signal.
A reporter was inadvertently added to that group chat that some say detailed the plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen.
South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds was involved in this morning’s meeting.
Here’s what he told reporters when it wrapped up.
“My what I understood in there was that a number of the individuals testifying before us indicated that the information on their discussion was not of a classified nature. And if that’s the case, then I suspect that the reporter who was on that will probably be able to release it,” Rounds said.
Here’s a part of that text conversation obtained by CBS News.
From Director of CIA John Radcliff ‘A good start. MAR good job Pete and your team. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz replied, The team in Mal did a great job as well.
Retired two star general Lynn Hartsell handled all kinds of classified information as a war planner and worked inside the Pentagon for almost eight years.
He says we live in a different time.
“Back in my day if you were discussing classified materials, especially war plans, you normally did it face to face and you did it in a secured facility called compartmentalized information facility called skifs several of them in the Pentagon,” Hartsell said.
Hartsell says if it’s true that a reporter was added to the chat group, the American public needs answers.
“The bottom line in my mind, how did it happen, was it intentional by somebody or somebodies and if that’s the case you have to deal with that and take punitive action, was it just an oversight and an accident and somebody wasn’t paying attention maybe not punitive action, but you certainly need to correct the problems so it doesn’t happen again,” Hartsell said.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Monday that quote “nobody was texting war plans.”
