After Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth exposed critical military operation details and threatened our national security, Donald Trump’s top advisers are flailing everywhere, from Fox News to committee hearings. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard dodged questions under oath about what country she was in during this unauthorized group chat. Hegseth said “nobody is texting war plans” after literally texting plans to a reporter. And even Republicans are “angered” by Trump’s incompetent advisers risking active-duty servicemembers’ safety. 

Here’s a look at how Donald Trump’s senior advisers continue to embarrass themselves after putting America’s national security at risk: 

Washington Post: “Senate Democrats on Tuesday hammered the Trump administration’s top intelligence officials on how and why the vice president, defense secretary, national security adviser and other top Cabinet members made the ‘reckless’ decision to use a commercial messaging app to discuss secret war plans for Yemen — while also inadvertently including a journalist in the group chat. …

“Gabbard, Ratcliffe and the other government witnesses provided few answers. After Gabbard at first declined to say whether she was involved in the group chat at all, she and Ratcliffe then told senators that the information shared over Signal was not classified. At other times, they denied the details contained in the Atlantic’s reporting or said they could not recall the exact contents of the messages. …

“‘Did you know that the president’s Middle East adviser was in Moscow on this thread while you were, as director of the CIA, participating in this thread? Were you aware of that?’ Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) asked Ratcliffe, referencing special envoy Steve Witkoff and suggesting Russian intelligence could have hacked the chat.”

Reuters: “Senior US Republican wants probe into Signal chat on Houthi attack”

“A powerful U.S. Senate Republican called on Wednesday for an official probe of Trump administration officials’ discussion of sensitive attack plans on a commercial messaging app, after critics argued that U.S. troops could have died if the information had fallen into the wrong hands.

“Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters he and Senator Jack Reed, the panel’s top Democrat, would ask President Donald Trump’s administration to expedite an Inspector General report and provide a classified briefing.”

New York Times: “Jeffries Calls on Trump to Fire Hegseth”

“‘Pete Hegseth is the most unqualified secretary of defense in American history,’ Mr. Jeffries wrote in a letter sent to Mr. Trump at the White House, which was obtained by The New York Times. ‘His continued presence in the top position of leadership at the Pentagon threatens the nation’s security and puts our brave men and women in uniform throughout the world in danger.’”

Newsweek: “Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that Hegseth and the other members of the group chat ‘put on a stunning display of recklessness and disregard for our national security.’

“‘Hegseth should resign, and if he doesn’t resign, he should be fired,’ he continued.”

NBC News: “A contentious Senate hearing Tuesday raised questions about how Trump administration officials handle sensitive national security information and communications, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to share details of a planned U.S. military operation in a group chat. …

“Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a retired Air Force 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 and own up to it.’

“More significantly, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he would investigate the text chain with his Democratic colleagues on the panel.

“‘We’re very concerned about it and we’ll be looking into it on a bipartisan basis,’ Wicker told reporters.”

NPR: “During the Senate hearing, Warner described the actions of the nation’s top intelligence officials as ‘sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior.’

“‘If this was the case of a military officer or an intelligence officer and they had this kind of behavior, they would be fired,’ he said.”

CBS News: “Gabbard and Ratcliffe continued to insist that no classified information was sent in the group chat, baffling Democrats who cited executive orders and internal government guidance to argue that the operational details should have been considered highly classified.

“Shortly before the hearing began, The Atlantic published additional messages showing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided detailed information to the group of senior Trump officials about the strikes targeting Houthi rebels earlier this month, including a timeline of when fighter jets would take off and what kind of weapons would be used. …

“At Wednesday’s hearing, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the committee, chastised the intelligence leaders at the start of the hearing, saying they put the lives of troops at risk.”

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