WASHINGTON (AP) — The Atlantic released the entire Signal chat among Trump senior national security officials Wednesday, showing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact times of warplane launches, strike packages and targets — before the men and women flying those attacks against Yemen’s Houthis this month on behalf of the United States were airborne.
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The disclosure follows two intense days during which Trump’s senior most Cabinet members of his intelligence and defense agencies have struggled to explain how details that current and former U.S. officials have said would have been classified wound up on an unclassified Signal chat that included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg,
Hegseth has refused to say whether he posted classified information onto Signal. He is traveling in the Indo-Pacific and to date has only scoffed at questions, saying he did not reveal “war plans.” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that it was up to Hegseth to determine whether the information he was posting was classified or not.
What was revealed was jaw-dropping in its specificity and includes the type of information that is kept to a very close hold to protect the operational security of a military strike.
In the group chat, Hegseth posted:
“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”
“1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)”
“1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”
“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)”
“1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.”
“MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)”
“We are currently clean on OPSEC” — that is, operational security.
“Godspeed to our Warriors.”
Goldberg has said he asked the White House if it opposed publication and that the White House responded that it would prefer he did not publish.
On his podcast yesterday, Ben Shapiro (who self admits, loathes Goldberg) gave him credit for not revealing most of what was in the conversation and for keeping it to a very minimum. I guess now that all changed. That didn’t take long. What a snake!
Read Jornalist Goldberg’s articles. The MAGA Administration only attacks him personally but offers no apology or explanation. If a military attack and foreign policy (threatening our Euro allies) isn’t CLASSIFIED INFO, then what is? Amateur nite by Trump clowns.
Wow, it’s almost like the AP is pretending to care about national security, when in actuality they are attempting to undermine it from within. An animal is most dangerous when it is cornered.
Target Terrorist is
his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – what’s the location, Kenneth? More F-18s LAUNCH – coordinates, Kenneth? How about the direction lat and long? “Godspeed to our Warriors.” – they still speak like this?
Aren’t these chats disappering after a few seconds etc?
Hegseth should be fired…and Goldberg should be tried for treason