And let’s get this over with, shall we? The latest scoop in the world of politics is that The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, has released more messages from the Signal chat group for senior Trump administration officials, because, why not? I mean, who needs security and confidentiality when you’re discussing sensitive information, right? (Just what I always wanted, more drama in my life).
But, supposedly, these messages show that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared some sensitive information about an upcoming strike on the Houthis, including specific timings – because, you know, secrecy is overrated. And, of course, this information was shared in a group chat that Goldberg was accidentally added to, because who needs proper security protocols, anyway? It’s not like this is a big deal or anything (wait, it totally is).
Now, White House officials are saying that they’re vindicated by the latest reporting, and that the discussions were just “attack plans” and not “war plans” – what a relief. I mean, who needs to split hairs over terminology when the fact remains that sensitive information was shared in a non-secure channel? (Just a minor detail, right?).
And, by the way, have you seen the Signal chat app reviews? Apparently, it’s super secure (just kidding, it’s not). But, hey, who needs security when you have… well, I’m not really sure what they were thinking.
But, I digress. The issue at hand is that Trump administration officials are handling sensitive information like it’s their personal playground, and that’s just not okay. I mean, what’s next? Sharing nuclear codes on Facebook? (Please don’t give them any ideas). And, can we talk about how CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Tulsi Gabbard were in the compromised Signal chat? What were they thinking? (I guess we’ll never know).
As The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg so eloquently put it, “There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared.” (Amen to that).
And, because I just can’t help myself, let’s talk about the Senate Intelligence Committee. They’re going to demand more answers about the nature of the information shared in the messages, and I’m just over here like, “Finally, someone is taking this seriously.” (Better late than never, right?).
But, what’s really interesting (or not) is that Pete Hegseth was among the officials pushing back against the story, saying that no war plans were discussed in the chat, nor was any classified material shared. (Sure, Pete, sure). And, of course, the White House said the same thing, because why would they admit to anything? (I mean, come on).
And, because I love a good politics book, let’s talk about the lawsuit filed by nonpartisan watchdog group American Oversight against the Trump administration over using Signal. Because, you know, someone has to keep them in check.
In conclusion (finally), this whole ordeal is just a big mess, and I’m just over here wondering how these people are in charge of running a country. (I guess that’s a story for another time). But, hey, at least we have coffee to get us through these trying times.