From the Oval Office, Donald Trump concentrated on air strikes in Yemen during his conversation with reporters, steering clear of the subject of Signal chat leaks. Downplaying the recent Signal chat leak as a “witch hunt,” Trump, without providing evidence, suggested that the encrypted messaging app “could be defective.” He refrained from taking responsibility for the leak, stating, “the press [has] up-played it. I think it’s a witch hunt. I wasn’t involved in it. I wasn’t there.”
The Trump administration acknowledged on Monday that a journalist from The Atlantic was inadvertently included in a confidential discussion about an upcoming strike on Yemen’s Houthis. This revelation has sparked intense criticism and calls for investigation from both House Democrats and some Republican senators, who are concerned about the potential political ramifications if the situation is not adequately handled.
Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator Jack Reed, the committee’s leading Democrat, are demanding an urgent inspector general inquiry into the use of the Signal app. They also seek a confidential briefing with a top administration official knowledgeable about the events.
In response to inquiries about the proposed inspector general investigation, Trump stated, “It doesn’t bother me.” This incident echoes the controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server for government communications during her time as Secretary of State under Barack Obama, which was heavily criticized and became a significant issue in the 2016 presidential election.
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, detailed the surprising discovery of being added to a chat with high-ranking officials discussing military operations in Yemen. The White House maintained that the information leaked through Signal was not classified, a claim Democrats found unbelievable, given the sensitivity of the information disclosed, which included strategic US military plans targeting Yemen’s Houthis.
Senator Mark Warner, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, dismissed the administration’s stance on the matter as unconvinced. The controversy surrounding the leaks shows no signs of abating, with Trump expressing support for his national security team and challenging the credibility of the reporter involved. Despite this, Trump has indicated a preference for his team to discuss such operations face-to-face and in more secure environments, though it remains unclear whether procedural changes will be implemented in response to the leak.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/27/trump-calls-signal-chat-fallout-a-witch-hunt-amid-calls-for-probe?traffic_source=rss
