Mike Waltz grilled “Signalgate” at Senate confirmation
Former national security adviser Mike Waltz answered questions about handling leaked signal group chats.
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed information classified in March by battlefield commanders about the US attacks on US rebels over chats on commercial messaging app signals, according to US officials.
The Washington Post reported on July 23 that there was evidence that Pentagon inspectors reviewing the issue came from a categorized email that shared in detail the timing of the US airstrike.
The message was classified as confidential information when General Eric Kurira, commander of the US Central Commander, sent it to Hegus, a US official who was not permitted to speak publicly.
The Pentagon confronted the claim that the information Hegseth revealed in a signalling chat, which inadvertently included Atlantic journalists, was not secret.
“The department is standing behind previous statements. No information classified via signaling has been shared,” Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said in a statement. “As we’ve said repeatedly, no one has texted the war plan. From the Roughrider Operation to Operation Midnight Hammer, the recent success of our department’s operations proves that our operational security and discipline are top notch.”
Roughrider is the name of the surgery to bomb the Hooty rebels in Yemen that attacked a ship in the Red Sea. Houthis agreed not to target our ship after heavy fire there. The Midnight Hammer is the name of a US attack on Iran’s nuclear site.
