By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National
Correspondent
The question being asked all over social media, in homes, offices, and even behind closed doors in Washington: If former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had leaked war plans over Signal, would Republicans already be demanding his resignation? “Imagine the uproar if Lloyd Austin had been discussing war plans over Signal and inadvertently added a journalist,” said political strategist Chris D. Jackson. “We’d be hearing calls for impeachment by now. The double standards are astounding.” Jackson, who is white, didn’t mince words. Austin, a Black four-star general and career military leader, was fired by Donald Trump and labeled a “DEI hire.” Now, Trump’s national security team is under scrutiny for something far worse — and the silence from many corners is deafening.
According to The Atlantic, editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to an 18-member Signal group chat that included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and others. The group, created by Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz, was discussing a pending U.S. military strike against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The White House confirmed the Signal messages reported by The Atlantic appear authentic. The leak may have violated multiple Pentagon security protocols. Defense Department rules prohibit using messaging apps like Signal to transmit, process, or access non-public DoD information. Vice President Vance, in the chat, questioned the political risk of launching the strike. He worried about “a moderate to severe spike in oil prices” and whether the operation’s timing was a “mistake.” He went further: “I just hate bailing Europe out again.” Hegseth responded, “I fully share your loathing of European freeloading. It’s PATHETIC. I think we should go.”
Goldberg said he received Waltz’s Signal invite and immediately notified officials. Hegseth’s response wasn’t to explain how such a breach occurred but to attack Goldberg, calling him “a deceitful, discredited so-called journalist.” That attack drew even more criticism. “This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about in a very, very long time,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the incident “an egregious failure of operational security and common sense.” “American lives are on the line,” Reed said. “The carelessness shown by Trump’s Cabinet is stunning and dangerous. I will be seeking answers from the Administration immediately.”
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said if a lower-level official had done what’s being reported, “they would likely lose their clearance and be subject to criminal investigation. The American people deserve answers.” Republicans have also voiced concern. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters, “We’re very concerned about it, and we’ll be looking into it on a bipartisan basis.” Senate Majority Whip John Thune added, “We’ve got to run it to the ground, figure out what went on there.”
The National Security Council is investigating how Goldberg’s number ended up in the Signal group. Under the Biden administration, officials were allowed to download Signal on government-issued phones but instructed never to use it for classified conversations. Signal is end-to-end encrypted and considered safer than regular texting, but it isn’t secure for national security discussions. Pentagon regulations prohibit it from classified or sensitive content. Google’s threat intelligence team has also warned that Russia’s intelligence services have ramped up attempts to target Signal users in government and military circles. Gun violence survivor and elected official Brandon Wolf said the response would look very different if the officials involved weren’t white and connected to Trump. “If it were Lloyd Austin, Jake Sullivan, and Kamala Harris in a sloppy Signal chat, [Trump] would be first in line demanding their resignations.”
