Democrats slam Hegseth over texted war plan
Democrats are sharply criticizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after it was revealed The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief was added to a text group chat about the administration’s plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) slammed the top officials, calling them incompetent and warning that if the plan details had been revealed Americans could have died.
“There is no world in which this information should have been shared in non-secure channels,” he said online. “Hegseth is in so far over his head that he is a danger to this country and our men and women in uniform.”
Moulton called on congressional Republicans to have Hegseth testify before Congress and “be held accountable.”
Earlier Monday, it was revealed by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic that he was apparently included in a Trump administration group chat on the secure messaging app Signal.
Top officials including Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President Vance discussed details about President Trump’s view on the proposed Houthi attack.
The messages, which Goldberg only shared a few of, also included highly classified details about the attack. Goldberg’s publishing of the article sent shock waves throughout Washington.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who ran alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, joked about the news, saying Hegseth was “texting our war plans like invites to a frat party.”
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) claimed each of the government officials on the text chain has “now committed a crime” that would normally involve a jail sentence.
“We can’t trust anyone in this dangerous administration to keep Americans safe,” Coons said.
Sabrina Singh, the Biden administration’s spokesperson for the Defense Department, questioned why the top officials used Signal and how they didn’t “even realize they had a reporter in the chat.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said the administration’s messaging was “blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief.”
“Our national security is in the hands of complete amateurs,” she said.
“What other highly sensitive national security conversations are happening over group chat? Any other random people accidentally added to those, too?” Warren questioned.
In a letter obtained by Punchbowl News addressed to House leadership and the leaders of the Committee on House Administration, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) said she previously wrote about the need for proper training for handling classified information in Congress.
She said it was “imperative” following The Atlantic article that government personnel receive training on managing classified material.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) called for people to lose their jobs, “preferably Hegseth,” over the incident.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he was horrified by the reports of the messaging.
“If true, these actions are a brazen violation of laws and regulations that exist to protect national security, including the safety of Americans serving in harm’s way,” Himes said in a statement.
Matthew Miller, a former Obama-era Justice Department official, called for an investigation into the leak and the messages, drawing a comparison to the previous scandal of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton using a private email server.
Several more Democratic lawmakers and committees weighed in online over the news, poking fun at the administration over the stunning report and national security concern.
Topics
-
Hegseth says 'nobody was texting war plans' after group chat breach
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Monday that “nobody was texting war plans” following news breaking that Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, gained access to a ...The Hill - 23h -
Atlantic journalist pushes back on Hegseth comments: ‘He was texting war plans’
Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, pushed back on comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the journalist's access to a group chat with information about an attack on ...The Hill - 20h -
Hegseth says ‘nobody was texting war plans’ after chat emerges
Top officials reportedly discussed secret U.S. military plans in a group chat with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg from The Atlantic who was inadvertently added. Secretary of State Pete Hegseth says ...NBC News - 11h -
Hegseth denies war plans shared in group text
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke for the first time since the story broke that a national security team accidentally included a magazine editor in a group text where they discussed plans to ...NBC News - 22h -
Democrats react to Hegseth inadvertently sharing war plans via unsecure chat platform
After the Trump administration inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to an unsecured chat about war plans, Democrats expressed outrage.ABC News - 11h -
Fox’s Brit Hume on Hegseth’s response to war plans texts: ‘Oh for God’s sake’
Fox News political commentator Brit Hume on Monday afternoon pushed back on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's claim that "nobody was texting war plans" after news broke that Hegseth and other Trump ...The Hill - 21h -
Atlantic editor suggests he's open to sharing Hegseth's full war plans texts publicly
Jeffery Goldberg, the top editor of The Atlantic, said he could be open to sharing more details from a Signal group chat he was mistakenly added to by top U.S. officials that contained secret war ...The Hill - 6h -
Top House Democrat calls for Hegseth to resign: ‘Endangered lives of American troops’
The fifth-ranking House Democrat called for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign Tuesday for sending sensitive military action plans over an unauthorized group chat that included a prominent ...The Hill - 5h -
Hegseth Disclosed Secret War Plans in Group Chat With Atlantic Journalist
The conversation among the defense secretary and other national security officials on a commercial messaging app mistakenly included the editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.The New York Times - 17h
More from The Hill
-
Senate confirms Trump's nominee to run NIH
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed health researcher Jay Bhattacharya as the next leader of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya was confirmed on a party line vote, 53 to 47. ...The Hill - 15m -
Senate confirms Trump's nominee to run NIH
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed health researcher Jay Bhattacharya as the next leader of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya was confirmed on a party line vote, 53 to 47. ...The Hill - 15m -
Trump takes aim at Fed
Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Trump eyes Fed as tariffs, inflation collide President Trump is zeroing in on the ...The Hill - 17m -
Trump takes aim at Fed
Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Trump eyes Fed as tariffs, inflation collide President Trump is zeroing in on the ...The Hill - 17m -
Schiff, Ricketts introduce bill targeting group they say was involved in Oct. 7 attack
Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced a bill on Tuesday targeting a group they said was involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel for sanctions. The Accountability ...The Hill - 22m
More in Politics
-
Senate confirms Trump's nominee to run NIH
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed health researcher Jay Bhattacharya as the next leader of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya was confirmed on a party line vote, 53 to 47. ...The Hill - 15m -
Senate confirms Trump's nominee to run NIH
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed health researcher Jay Bhattacharya as the next leader of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya was confirmed on a party line vote, 53 to 47. ...The Hill - 15m -
Trump takes aim at Fed
Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Trump eyes Fed as tariffs, inflation collide President Trump is zeroing in on the ...The Hill - 17m -
Trump takes aim at Fed
Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Trump eyes Fed as tariffs, inflation collide President Trump is zeroing in on the ...The Hill - 17m -
Schiff, Ricketts introduce bill targeting group they say was involved in Oct. 7 attack
Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced a bill on Tuesday targeting a group they said was involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel for sanctions. The Accountability ...The Hill - 22m