Republican lawmakers are defending President Donald Trump’s administration as they face criticism for enabling a leak of military information after granting a journalist access to a private channel used by top defense and intelligence officials.
The Atlantic’s Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg recently claimed he was added to a Signal chat with top Trump administration officials where they discussed the US’ recent strikes on Houthi targets.
The US has recently ramped up strikes against the Houthis, an Iran-backed Yemeni terror group that has been targeting US, Israeli, and allies’ ships since Hamas’ October 7th, 2023 attacks.
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The National Security Council reportedly confirmed Goldberg had access to the Signal chat and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz admitted responsibility for granting Goldberg access.
Democrat lawmakers criticized the Trump administration for allegedly discussing classified information via unsecured channels.
Republicans, however, retorted that no classified information was discussed in the chat and that the purpose of the conversation - striking the Houthis - was successful.
Trump directed a barrage of airstrikes on Houthi forces following the latter’s daily drone and missile attacks against US military and commercial ships and Israel’s civilian population.
“Let’s not get distracted by a mistake,” said Representative Maria-Elvira Salazar (R-FL). “One of our intelligence team’s core tasks is killing terrorists—and that’s exactly what they did with the Houthis.”
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt assured the American public that “no classified information was discussed — and the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the CIA, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Director of the FBI all testified to that under oath.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) redirected attention from the leaks to the Trump administration’s actions in the fight against terrorism.
“The messages the Atlantic released only prove that America is STRONG again,” said Speaker Johnson. “President Trump’s national security leaders are patriots who collaborate and then act decisively to take out terrorists.”
