Wow, just wow! I’m still trying to wrap my head around the sheer audacity of this story. I mean, who needs classified government systems when you have Signal, right? (And by the way, can we talk about how Pete Hegseth seems to be at the center of all this?) Anyway, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of this wild ride.
Apparently, our intrepid author received a mysterious connection request on Signal from a user claiming to be Michael Waltz, President Trump’s national security adviser. Because, you know, it’s totally normal for high-ranking government officials to reach out to journalists on encrypted messaging apps. And our author, being the cautious type, thought, “Hey, maybe this is legit, or maybe it’s a disinformation campaign – either way, I’ll play along!”
But then, things took a turn for the bizarre. Our author was added to a Signal group chat with other big-name officials, including JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and even Stephen Miller (or someone impersonating them). I mean, what’s next? A White House Discord server?
Now, I’m no expert, but isn’t Signal, like, super secure? Can’t they, like, track IP addresses and stuff? (More on that later.)
But back to our story: so, these officials are casually discussing their plans to attack Houthi targets in Yemen, and our author is just sitting there, wondering if it’s all some elaborate hoax. Until, of course, the bombs start falling, and suddenly, it’s like, whoa, this is real.
Meanwhile, I’m over here wondering if national security law even exists anymore. Can government officials just use Signal to coordinate military actions? Do they not care about federal records law?
At one point, Waltz’s team starts discussing trade figures and economic implications, and our author is thinking, “This is insane – these are high-ranking government officials discussing war plans on Signal, like they’re swapping memes or something!”
In all seriousness, though, if this Signal group chat was real (and Brian Hughes’ response seems to confirm it), it’s terrifying. Our national security depends on secure communication, not Signal chats that could be compromised at any moment. What about cybersecurity protocols, you ask?
Bottom line: if true, this whole situation raises way more questions than answers. But one thing is for sure – I’ll never look at Signal the same way again.
(Note: the situation has some concerning connections to Trump administration figures, and possible violations of federal records law – check out the reporting by Shane Harris on that.)