Senators criticize Trump officials’ discussion of war plans over Signal, but administration answers don’t come easily 

Democratic senators hammered two top national security officials Tuesday about their participation in a Signal chat discussing war plans that reportedly included a journalist, but struggled to get specific answers to some of their questions about what happened and how.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wouldn’t even initially acknowledge her involvement in the chat group, where, as reported by The Atlantic, top officials including herself, Vice President JD Vance, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others weighed a military strike on Houthis in Yemen. However, Gabbard later answered questions about what she remembered about the discussions.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said the addition of a reporter to the group chat — something the Trump administration has said was “inadvertent” — demonstrated “incompetence” and “sloppiness,” comments other Democratic senators uttered as well. 

“It’s an embarrassment,” he said at a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “You need to do better.”

During the hearing, both Gabbard and Ratcliffe frequently responded with “I don’t recall” or “not that I’m aware of” when asked if the messages discussed strike targets, the operation’s timing,  or weapon systems involved. According to the Atlantic, bombing started shortly after discussions in the group indicated the attacks were imminent. 

Gabbard ultimately said under questioning from Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., that she didn’t “remember mention of specific targets” but did remember mention of general targets.  Ratcliffe ultimately said under questioning from Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., that there was discussion about the timing of sending U.S. air crews.

But Gabbard and Ratcliffe also said that, to their knowledge, no classified information was discussed in the chat, something that drew skeptical replies from senators.

“It’s hard for me to believe that targets, weapons and timing would not have been classified,” said Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats. 

Said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence panel: “If this information had gotten out, American lives could’ve been lost.”

Ratcliffe said the decision to classify such topics ultimately lies with Hegseth, who was not at the hearing. The Secretary of Defense usually does not attend the annual hearing covering worldwide threats. Ratcliffe noted that any information he viewed from the intelligence community side of the discussion was not classified. 

Under questioning from Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., Ratcliffe said he didn’t know whether Hegseth had declassified information on the targets, weapons or timing at any point. 

Another major line of inquiry was about the use of Signal, an encrypted messaging app. The Defense Department in 2023 said it wasn’t suitable for sharing controlled unclassified information — data that’s not classified but still must be protected under the designation — and non-public information, let alone classified details. Some other agencies have expressly permitted its usage.

Gabbard told Kelly she couldn’t answer whether the chat transcripts could be released publicly,
“because of the nature of a private discussion that took place between individuals” and “other factors.” She also didn’t say whether the Signal discussions took place on her work or personal phone, but that she had traveled overseas during some portion of the discussions.

Ratcliffe said CIA records personnel had said Signal was permissible for work use at the agency. He said it was “not a substitute” for also having discussions on “the high side,” meaning a secure classified system. Asked by Ossoff if the addition of a reporter to the chat was a “huge mistake,” Ratcliffe said, flatly, “no,” and that he didn’t have knowledge that a reporter was on the chat.

A pair of Republican senators, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Todd Young of Indiana, said they had also had questions about the use of Signal, but that they would reserve them for a separate part of the hearing behind closed doors.