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"There were no sources, methods, locations or war plans that were shared," she claimed. "This was a standard update to the #NationalSecurity cabinet that was provided alongside updates that were given to foreign partners in the region."
#Gabbard also said that #Signal is pre-installed on government devices. (wtf?)
She referred to a pending lawsuit as a reason why she would be “limited” in commenting further on the issue.
Well done Rep #JoaquinCastro!
During the #House #Intelligence Cmte hearing, #Castro asked #TulsiGabbard why #Venezuela was not included in the annual #ThreatAssessment Report. Castro cited #Trump’s invocation of the #AlienEnemiesAct to conduct #MassDeportations & Trump’s claim that he could invoke the #AEA because he believes we are at #war with Venezuela. Castro asked #Gabbard that if we are at war with a country how is it possible that they didn’t warrant entry in the assessment.
Rep #JimHimes, the top #Democrat on the #House #Intelligence Committee, asked #TulsiGabbard, the director of national intelligence, about her testimony on Tues that precise details about the attack were not included in the chat, given the new release of messages that contradict that. “My answer yesterday was based on my recollection, or the lack thereof, on the details that were posted there,” she said.
Himes hammered away on the idea that the timing of the attacks was #classified as “#TopSecret” under #intelligence community rules. #Gabbard said she didn’t disagree but reiterated that material was posted to the chat by Secy of #Defense #PeteHegseth, & that he is in charge of declassifying material from the #Pentagon.
John #Ratcliffe, the #CIA director, said the newly released portions of the chat show that he did not share #classified information there. “My answers haven’t changed,” he said. “I used an appropriate channel to communicate sensitive information. It was permissible to do so. I didn’t transfer any classified information.”
#Ratcliffe said the #CIA officer he had added to the #Signal chat was his chief of staff, who is not serving under cover. While he chastised #TheAtlantic for making it look as if he had revealed #classified information by including the name, the magazine said it had withheld the name at the urging of the agency. The CIA typically asks that the names of most of its officers be kept secret to preserve their ability to serve overseas in undercover roles in the future.
In the #intelligence hearing, Rep #JoaquinCastro, #Democrat of Texas, took issue with the intelligence officials saying the information in the #Signal chat on the #Houthi strikes was not #classified. “You all know that’s a lie,” he said. “It’s a lie to the country.”
While Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi, #Democrat of IL, spoke, he displayed an oversized printout of the #Signal texts published by #TheAtlantic this morning. #Krishnamoorthi referenced the graphic multiple times while questioning Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the #Defense #Intelligence Agency, on whether the information detailing operational plans was #classified or not.
Kruse admitted his agency would define the type of information shared as classified.
Rep #JasonCrow, #Democrat of Colorado, asked #TulsiGabbard if she was traveling during the time of the attack & the #Signal discussion. She said she was traveling in Asia, but did not recall what country.
Crow made the point that the #Houthis have been able to shoot down U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones, one of the weapons used in the strike on #Yemen & got #Gabbard to say she knew Houthis had that capability.
#JasonCrow showed the advanced air defense systems the #Houthis have, & then said it was outrageous that the #Trump admin was not accepting responsibility for the leak. “It is a leadership failure, & that’s why Secretary #Hegseth, who undoubtedly transmitted #classified sensitive operational information via this chain, must #resign immediately,” he said.
Ridiculous
Sean Parnell, chief #Pentagon spox, shared a statement while traveling w/ #defense Secy #PeteHegseth in the western Pacific:
“It’s no surprise hoax-peddlers at the Atlantic have already abandoned their ‘war plans’ claim. These additional #Signal chat messages confirm there were no classified materials or war plans shared. The Secretary was merely updating the group on a plan that was underway & had already been briefed through official channels.
1/
[Parnell stmnt cont]
“The American people see through the Atlantic’s pathetic attempts to distract from President #Trump’s #NationalSecurity agenda.”
Several retired military commanders have pushed back on the claims that the details in #PeteHegseth’s messages were not classified.
2/2
#Republicans in the #House hearing are mostly ignoring the #Signal chat. Rep #DanCrenshaw, Republican of Texas, was one of the few to even bring it up.
“I will note I always use fire emojis when I see terrorists getting killed,” he said.
#law #NationalSecurity #SignalGate #Trump #idiocracy #kakistocracy #intelligence #InfoSec
Rep #JimmyGomez, #Democrat CA, asked if #Gabbard or #Ratcliffe had any info as to whether #Defense Sec #PeteHegseth had been drinking the day he texted clearly #classified information on #Signal.
Gomez’s question resulted in an explosion of feigned indignation from Ratcliffe–accusing Gomez of inappropriate behavior. Gomez replied #Hegseth’s alcohol abuse was a concern to Americans & he’d sworn in his confirmation hearing he’d quit. Yet, Hegseth recently appeared at a podium in Europe w/a drink.
#TulsiGabbard, dir of natl #intelligence, was put on the spot by #House Rep #StaceyPlaskett of the Virgin Islands, who asked if #Russia was a friend or adversary of the #US. On Tues in the #Senate, Gabbard called Russia a “competitor”. But today, when asked to choose between the 2, Gabbard admitted Russia was an adversary. That wouldn’t be asked of any other admin, but #Trump’s criticism of #Ukraine & praise of Russia & Gabbard’s past parroting of Russian propaganda makes it necessary.
This idiot
#PeteHegseth spouts off on social media:
So, let's me get this straight. The Atlantic released the so-called "war plans" and those "plans" include: No names. No targets. No locations.
#TulsiGabbard said the release of the additional screenshots by #TheAtlantic today “were a refresher on what happened.” But she said she stood by her responses to the #Senate yesterday, when she said she did not recall that the #Signal chat included the timing or order of the strikes on the #Houthis.
Earlier, Rep #JimmyGonez reminded them they’d been in office for less than 2 months & this all took place just 10 days ago.
#TulsiGabbard said she didn’t play a “specific role” in the #Signal chat because she was traveling. But she also pushed a new defense. The material presented in the chat, she said, was being shared w/regional allies at the same time as it was being shared w/cabinet members. “The decision to conduct this operation had been made long before that conversation took place,” she said.
“I do take my responsibility very seriously, & played an integral role in providing the #intelligence communities assessments that led to the ultimate decision by the president to conduct an operation which, by the way, was very successful & continues to be very successful,” #Gabbard said.
Sen #RogerWicker, #Republican of MS & the chair of the #Senate panel which has #oversight of the #Pentagon, says that he & his Democratic counterpart will request an expedited investigation by the Dept of #Defense Office of Inspector General into the #Signal group chat. Wicker & Sen #JackReed, Democrat of RI & the top Dem on the cmte, are also seeking to hold classified briefings on the matter.
It’s unclear who will oversee the investigation because #Trump fired the IG at the Pentagon.
#Trump will hold a news conference at 4PM, the White House press secretary announced.
The only thing I can predict is that it will be painful to watch.
Sen #AdamSchiff, D-CA, is requesting information from Dir of Natl #Intelligence #TulsiGabbard & US Special Envoy #SteveWitkoff about whether they used #Signal on personal devices as part of their jobs & is questioning whether the 2 were abroad during the chat involving #TheAtlantic's #JeffreyGoldberg.
#Witkoff denied having a personal device w/him during his trip to #Russia, saying in a social media post that he had only a govt-issued secure phone during his travels & suggesting that was why he did not comment in the group chat for a period of time.
Witkoff's post was responding to an op-ed in The WSJ, which referenced media reports about Witkoff "receiving these messages on the commercial app while in Moscow."
#law #SignalGate #Signal #Trump #idiocracy #kakistocracy
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/signal-leak-houthis-pete-hegseth-mike-waltz-tulsi-gabbard-john-ratcliffe-6195ab3b
#Witkoff did not confirm in the post whether he had been using #Signal on a govt device or personal device. But when recounting why he was silent for portions of the group chat discussion, Witkoff said it was "because I had no access to my personal devices until I returned from my trip."
Witkoff's post also comes after Sen #AdamSchiff sent a letter to #Gabbard & him requesting info about their use of Signal & travel by March 31.
Via CBS:
#Russia has repeatedly tried to compromise #Signal …
#Witkoff arrived in #Russia shortly after noon local time on March 13, acc/to data from the flight tracking website FlightRadar24, & Russian state media broadcast video of his motorcade leaving Vnukovo Interntl Airport…. About 12hrs later, he was added to the "Houthi PC small group" chat on Signal…, to discuss the imminent military op….
#law #NationalSecurity #SignalGate #Trump #idiocracy #kakistocracy
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-envoy-steve-witkoff-signal-text-group-chat-russia-putin/
#TheAtlantic / #JeffreyGoldberg screenshots first show #Witkoff contributing to the #Signal group chat on Saturday, after he left #Russia & returned to the #US, with a stop on Friday in Baku, #Azerbaijan; however that does not mean he wasn’t opening the app & reading the thread.
Secy of #State #MarcoRubio said in remarks today in Jamaica that someone made a “big mistake” adding #TheAtlantic's editor-in-chief to the #Signal chat that contained info about a #military attack on the #Houthis in #Yemen.
Unlike everyone else in the #Trump admin, he didn’t defame #JeffreyGoldberg.
"Obviously, someone made a mistake. Someone made a big mistake & added a journalist. Nothing against journalists, but you ain’t supposed to be on that thing," Rubio said.
#Rubio said he contributed 2X — 1st when he identified his chief of staff as his point of contact & 2nd when he congratulated the team after the attack on the #Houthis.
"I’ve been assured by the #Pentagon & everyone involved that none of the information that was on there — though not intended to be divulged. Obviously, that was a mistake & that shouldn’t have happened. But that none of the information on there at any point threatened the operation or the lives of our servicemen.“
Asked if the info shared in the #Signal chat was classified, #Rubio said, "Well, the #Pentagon says it was not. And not only did they said it was not, they made very clear that it didn’t put in danger anyone’s life or the mission. There was no intelligence information. And understand, when this story first broke, they were sort of alluding to, were there war maps? ... There were no war plans on there."
Besides being a #drunk #rapist, #Trump #Defense Secy #PeteHegseth is a total idiot, on full display in this video.
Aside, note the general he names behind him, immediately turns because he doesn’t want to associated w/this jackass.
#Defense Secy #PeteHegseth did not apologize Wednesday for disclosing on a #Signal chat what time American fighter jets were taking off & launching strikes against #Iran-backed #Houthis in #Yemen. Instead he relied on the #semantic argument that his disclosures, which also relayed specific times that a “strike window” for F-18s would begin in a chat that inadvertently included a journalist, were not “war plans.”
Defense Secy #Hegseth called his disclosure a “team update” meant to “provide updates in real time, general updates in real time.” He didn’t address how a disclosure that he released 30 mins before flights took off & 2 hours before the fighter jets began strikes was “real time.”
Well, we’re 15 mins after 4PM ET, so far no #Trump Press conference. I even checked Fox News. 
Ok folks, it’s now 45 mins after the 4PM ET #Trump Press conference. He is a no-show.
Coward.
#Republican Rep #DonBacon of #Nebraska spoke after #TheAtlantic published the screenshots from the #Signal “Houthi PC small group” texts.
Bacon, a retired #AirForce general, scoffed at #Hegseth’s assertion that no war plans had been shared on the text chain.
“That’s baloney,’ Bacon told reporters.” Just be honest & own up to it.”
A full hour after #Trump’s press conference was scheduled, he announces 25% #tariffs on all cars not made in the US. Then goes off on a weird #ConspiracyTheories riff about birds & whales to argue against #ClimateSolutions.
As #Trump announces his #tariffs, his admin is also working with #Republicans on a package to extend his expiring #TaxCuts for #corporations & #wealthy individuals. Trump said Wednesday he was still pushing for a deduction for auto loan interest “but only if the car is made in America.”
@Nonilex The topic is too embarrassing even for him! Hide the ketchup!