Washington, DC – Representatives Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence sent a letter to President Trump’s National Security team demanding answers to questions stemming from a report in The Atlantic that asserts the team texted sensitive and potentially classified information, including plans for the United States’ military action against Houthi targets on March 15th two hours before the operation, over an unclassified messaging app.
In the letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Security Tulsi Gabbard, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, the Ranking Members wrote: “We are deeply troubled by the report in The Atlantic that you and other Trump Administration officials conferred about highly sensitive national security matters, including ‘precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing’ concerning pending military actions against the Houthis, via the open-source Signal messaging service. We are especially concerned that the reported deliberations may have constituted a security breach…These actions could have compromised the operational security of, and by implication the safety of the service members involved in, the related military activities.”
The Ranking Members called for answers to multiple questions, including whether the information from the March 15th action was disclosed as reported and, if so, by whom. The Members asked whether any information shared could have compromised the operational security or capabilities of the U.S. armed forces or those of a U.S. ally or partner. The Members further asked what measures have been taken to ensure any disclosures are preserved, in accordance with federal law, and what steps have been taken to ensure such a breach “will not occur again.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.
In the letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Security Tulsi Gabbard, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, the Ranking Members wrote: “We are deeply troubled by the report in The Atlantic that you and other Trump Administration officials conferred about highly sensitive national security matters, including ‘precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing’ concerning pending military actions against the Houthis, via the open-source Signal messaging service. We are especially concerned that the reported deliberations may have constituted a security breach…These actions could have compromised the operational security of, and by implication the safety of the service members involved in, the related military activities.”
The Ranking Members called for answers to multiple questions, including whether the information from the March 15th action was disclosed as reported and, if so, by whom. The Members asked whether any information shared could have compromised the operational security or capabilities of the U.S. armed forces or those of a U.S. ally or partner. The Members further asked what measures have been taken to ensure any disclosures are preserved, in accordance with federal law, and what steps have been taken to ensure such a breach “will not occur again.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.