Fetterman, Pa. Democrats mock Trump national security team's 'sloppiness' in Signal chat

Benjamin Kail, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Mar 26, 2025

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman joined fellow Democrats Wednesday in criticizing President Donald Trump's national security team for sharing attack plans in a Signal chat group that included a journalist.

The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg on Monday revealed that national security adviser Mike Waltz had invited him to a group of top officials discussing on the commercial messaging app the March 15 attack on the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who Democrats characterized as unprecedentedly inexperienced before he was narrowly confirmed by the Senate, shared detailed attack information with the group just hours before strikes in Yemen, including the timing, aircraft and weaponry involved, and mentions of terrorist targets being hit.

"DO: Discuss on Signal your March Madness bracket," Fetterman, D-Pa., posted on X Wednesday. "DO NOT: Disclose on Signal the timing when American fighters will strike terrorist targets."

Fetterman's post came a few hours after the Atlantic published a follow-up in the wake of Hegseth and other White House officials accusing Goldberg of being deceitful — even though the National Security Council already said the text exchange was authentic.

"Lethality is incompatible with this sloppiness," Fetterman added.

The office of Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, an Army veteran, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the Signal chat.

Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, a Navy veteran, said on X that the signal chat and leak of attack plans marked "an outrageous national security breach and heads should roll."

"We need a full investigation and hearing into this on the House Armed Services Committee, (as soon as possible)," he added.

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, said on social media that, "You can't make this up."

"The incompetence is astounding," she said. "The 'mistakes' this administration are making are beyond reckless and dangerous."

Goldberg's initial story did not share Hegseth's attack plan messages, with the editor reporting that the information was sensitive. "As a general rule, we do not publish information about military operations if that information could possibly jeopardize the lives of U.S. personnel," the magazine reported Wednesday.

But after repeated assertions by administration officials that no classified information was shared over Signal, and allegations that the magazine was "lying about the content of the Signal texts," the Atlantic chose to publish the specific messages from Hegseth.

The publication of the texts fueled even more criticism from Democrats and national security experts who say such material should never have been shared on an insecure channel — let alone with a reporter. While Signal, which uses end-to-end encryption, is more secure than other messaging apps, it is hackable.

The National Security Agency in an internal bulletin last month said that "a vulnerability" had been identified in Signal, CBS News reported Tuesday night. "The use of Signal by common targets of surveillance and espionage activity has made the application a high value target to intercept sensitive information," according to the bulletin, which also alerted officials that professional Russian hackers may use phishing scams through the app.

Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and others were on the chat.

The White House and Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill appeared to seize on the Atlantic's use of the word "attack" Wednesday instead of "war" in regards to the detailed plans shared by the Pentagon chief. Vance claimed the Atlantic "oversold" the story.

"The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT 'war plans,'" White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X. "This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin."

"No locations. No sources and methods. NO WAR PLANS," said Waltz. "Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent. BOTTOM LINE: President Trump is protecting America and our interests."

Waltz said earlier this week that he did not know how Goldberg, whom he also criticized as anti-Trump, was invited to the group chat. He told Fox News Tuesday that he took "full responsibility" and that it was "embarrassing."

Trump has said Waltz "learned a lesson" over the incident, which comes a little more than two months into Trump's second administration.

The NSC said Tuesday that it's investigating how the chat group unfolded.

During a hearing on global threats featuring Ratcliffe, Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., a former Air Force officer, suggested Hegseth should resign over the matter.

"Targets, times — those kinds of things are absolutely classified," she said. "We all know it."

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