In a recent development, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has demanded the immediate termination of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's tenure.
This call for action follows a revelation by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, who disclosed that he had been mistakenly included in a Signal group chat with Trump administration officials. The chat, which took place days before military strikes against the Houthis, has sparked controversy and raised questions about the administration's handling of sensitive information.
Jeffries, in a letter addressed to President Donald Trump, characterized Hegseth as the "most unqualified Secretary of Defense" in the history of the United States. He accused Hegseth of "recklessly and casually" revealing "highly sensitive war plans," an act he believes has endangered American lives and potentially violated the law. "His continued presence in the top position of leadership at the Pentagon threatens the nations security and puts our brave men and women in uniform throughout the world in danger," Jeffries wrote, as reported by Breitbart.
Jeffries' letter comes in the wake of revelations that National Security Adviser Michael Waltz created a group chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, and included Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. The chat, titled "Houthi PC small group," also included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Trumps Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Hegseth, among others.
In the group chat, Waltz reportedly sent a message informing the group members that his deputy was "pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level" and asked them to "provide the best staff POC" from their teams. The group chat members reportedly shared the names of people who they were designating as their points of contacts.
The chat took an unexpected turn on Friday, March 14, when a "fascinating policy discussion" began between members. Vance expressed his concerns, stating that he felt they were "making a mistake" regarding the strikes. He highlighted the potential economic impact and inconsistency with Trump's message on Europe. Despite these concerns, Vance stated he was willing to support the team's consensus and keep his concerns to himself.
In response to Vance's concerns, Hegseth reportedly wrote that while he understood Vances concerns, "messaging is going to be tough no matter what." He outlined two immediate risks of waiting: the potential for leaks and the possibility of Israel taking action first. Despite these risks, Hegseth stated that they were prepared to execute and, if given the final decision, he believed they should proceed.
The group members reportedly continued to converse with each other. The following day, Hegseth reportedly sent a message which "contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing." Goldberg, realizing the gravity of the situation, left the group chat and reached out to several of the groups members with questions about the chat's authenticity and his inclusion in it.
On Tuesday, Trump revealed that a "staffer and aide" to Waltz had mistakenly added Goldberg to the group chat. He defended Waltz, stating that he had "learned a lesson, and hes a good man." This incident has drawn criticism from other Democrats, including Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who have also criticized the Trump administration officials after Goldberg was "inadvertently added" to the group.
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