Latest news with #OperationRoughRider
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Damning Report Proves Signal Messages Were Classified Despite Trump's Claims
A shock new report has revealed that the leaked Signal messages that Trump aides inadvertently sent to a journalist in March were classified, despite President Donald Trump claiming otherwise. An independent watchdog told The Washington Post that messages from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Signal account disclosing a U.S. bomb campaign originated from a classified email labeled 'SECRET/NOFORN.' The reveal contradicts longstanding claims by Trump and his staff that no classified information was shared in the chat. The 'SECRET' classification showcases that the information was so classified that unauthorized disclosure could be a risk to national security. 'NOFORN' is a phrase that means it was not meant for anyone who is a foreign national, even allies. During a March press conference regarding the Signal chat, Trump said that no classified information was shared. The Post's new report says otherwise. The bombshell comes as the Defense Department inspector general's office conducts an inquiry into the messages, as requested by Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee shortly after the scandal broke. The Pentagon denied the Post's report and maintained that the messages were declassified. 'This Signal narrative is so old and worn out, it's starting to resemble Joe Biden's mental state,' Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to the Daily Beast. 'The Department stands behind its previous statements: no classified information was shared via Signal. As we've said repeatedly, nobody was texting war plans and the success of the Department's recent operations—from Operation Rough Rider to Operation Midnight Hammer—are proof that our operational security and discipline are top notch.' The 'Signalgate' fiasco rocked the White House in March after now-ousted National Security Adviser Mike Waltz added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief to the group chat. The chat was created on a commercial messaging app called Signal to discuss a bomb operation in Yemen. Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg exposed the administration in an article titled 'The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.' Soon after, critics slammed the administration for the move and questioned why high-level officials would use such vulnerable modes of communication. The strike plans had been shared in a classified 'SECRET' email with more than a dozen defense officials by Gen. Michael 'Erik' Kurilla, the top commander overseeing Middle East military operations in the Middle East. They were then shared via the Signal group chat by Hegseth's account on March 15, only moments before the U.S. struck Yemen. Kurilla sent his sensitive message over the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, a classified system. But the message later shared by Hegseth was not over the same highly guarded system—it was on a Signal group chat. Along with discussing the timing of the strikes, top Trump aides also used a number of emojis to celebrate the attack—including an American flag, flame, fist and bicep. The chat also included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The shared messages included highly sensitive information: the day's strike plan, when the bombing was set to begin, what aircraft would be used, and what weapons would be involved. Trump fired Waltz from his post shortly after the public outrage that followed the scandal. But a number of Democrats and at least one Republican lawmaker have also called for Hegseth to be removed. Hegseth's time at the White House has been rocky and defined by frequent infighting and turnover. The findings of the Defense Department inspector general's office are expected to be released within a few months and may put Hegseth's job security at risk.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Panelists Laugh in MAGA Pundit's Face Over ‘Wild' Defense of Hegseth's Signal Disaster
CNN panelists openly laughed in Scott Jennings' face on Wednesday as the network's token MAGA pundit scrambled to make excuses for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Signalgate disaster. The group was discussing a report that the Pentagon's inspector general had obtained evidence that military plans shared from Hegseth's Signal account in a group chat—which accidentally included a journalist—came from a document that was classified at the time. A Defense Department spokesperson nevertheless reiterated the administration's line that 'no classified information was shared via Signal' in a statement to the Washington Post, which first reported the news. On CNN's Newsnight, Jennings suggested Hegseth could offer another defense—by arguing he has the power to declassify the messages in real time. 'This is just speculation based on what the scuttlebutt is, but there is a viewpoint that the secretary of defense, because he has declassification authorization, when he puts information into a whatever, he can declassify it at that moment,' Jennings said. 'We'll see if that argument becomes valid.' The incredulity of his response momentarily shocked the panel into silence, with host Abby Phillip responding: 'Wow, that is an absolutely wild argument to make about an ongoing… he will not be making that argument about an ongoing military operation.' Fellow panelist and former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake also dismissed the claims with a curt: 'That's ridiculous.' 'Why?' Jennings responded, causing Phillip and Flake to crack up. He continued: 'If [Hegseth] removed key details and he believes he has the authority to declassify information… I mean, they might not, I don't know what they're going to do. I'm just saying they might make that argument.' An independent watchdog told the Post that messages shared on Signal with Atlantic editor Jeffery Goldberg about a bombing campaign in Yemen originated from a classified email labeled 'SECRET/NOFORN,' apparently contradicting claims made by Donald Trump at the time that none of the material was classified. 'This Signal narrative is so old and worn out, it's starting to resemble Joe Biden's mental state,' Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to the Daily Beast about the leak. 'The Department stands behind its previous statements: no classified information was shared via Signal. As we've said repeatedly, nobody was texting war plans and the success of the Department's recent operations—from Operation Rough Rider to Operation Midnight Hammer—are proof that our operational security and discipline are top notch.'
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Hegseth's Signal messages were classified info from battle commanders
The message was classified as secret information when Gen. Erik Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, sent it to Hegseth, a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly, told USA TODAY. The Pentagon stood by its contention that the information Hegseth revealed on the Signal chat, which had inadvertently included a journalist from The Atlantic, wasn't secret. More: Trump adviser Michael Waltz defends Signal use, says he stayed on White House payroll "The Department stands behind its previous statements: no classified information was shared via Signal," Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said in a statement. "As we've said repeatedly, nobody was texting war plans and the success of the Department's recent operations - from Operation Rough Rider to Operation Midnight Hammer - are proof that our operational security and discipline are top notch." Rough Rider is the name of the operation to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen who have attacked ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis agreed not to target U.S. ships after heavy bombardment there. Midnight Hammer is the name for the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear sites.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Hegseth sent classified info from battlefield commanders on Signal chat
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth divulged classified information in March from battlefield commanders about the U.S. attack on Houthi rebels in a chat on the commercial messaging app Signal, according to a U.S. official. The Washington Post reported on July 23 that the Pentagon Inspector General, which is reviewing the matter, has evidence that the information Hegseth shared detailing the timing of U.S. airstrikes came from a classified email. The message was classified as secret information when Gen. Erik Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, sent it to Hegseth, a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly, told USA TODAY. The Pentagon stood by its contention that the information Hegseth revealed on the Signal chat, which had inadvertently included a journalist from The Atlantic, wasn't secret. More: Trump adviser Michael Waltz defends Signal use, says he stayed on White House payroll "The Department stands behind its previous statements: no classified information was shared via Signal," Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said in a statement. "As we've said repeatedly, nobody was texting war plans and the success of the Department's recent operations – from Operation Rough Rider to Operation Midnight Hammer – are proof that our operational security and discipline are top notch." Rough Rider is the name of the operation to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen who have attacked ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis agreed not to target U.S. ships after heavy bombardment there. Midnight Hammer is the name for the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear sites.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Another Signal-gate headache for Hegseth
People familiar with the report told The Washington Post that the attack plans had initially been shared with more than a dozen defense officials via a classified email sent over a classified system by U.S. Central Command head Gen. Michael 'Erik' Kurilla. Hegseth then posted the details in the unclassified Signal group chat directly before Washington launched its attacks on March 15. He also shared the information in a separate chat that included his wife, brother and personal attorney. The military labels material 'SECRET' if unauthorized disclosure could potentially cause serious damage to national security, while 'NOFORN' means the email was not meant for anyone who is a foreign national. The findings from the Defense Department Inspector General's office seems to contradict the Trump administration's repeated, adamant claims that no classified information was shared in the Signal group chats, which were revealed after the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was inadvertently added to one. The department's inspector general's office began to look into the incident in April after Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee requested it do so. The revelation also offers a new headache for Hegseth, who has faced mounting criticism over the leaked Signal chats, his management style, as well his reported decision to pause military aid to Ukraine without President Trump's approval. In a statement to The Hill on Wednesday, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell doubled down on the claim that no classified information was shared on Signal, calling the 'narrative' 'old and worn out.' 'The Department stands behind its previous statements: no classified information was shared via Signal. As we've said repeatedly, nobody was texting war plans and the success of the Department's recent operations–from Operation Rough Rider to Operation Midnight Hammer–are proof that our operational security and discipline are top notch,' Parnell said, touting the military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen and U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities last month. The Post reported that Kurilla sent his sensitive message over a classified system known as the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet). He included a rundown of strike plans for March 15, including when bombing was expected to begin and what kind of aircraft and weapons would be used. Two people told the Post that they were not aware of any discussions for Hegseth to declassify and downgrade the information Kurilla sent — as government regulations can allow — before he sent it to the Signal chats.
