US
Trump officials discussing war plans on messaging app lambasted as ‘amateur hour’
“FUBAR”.
That’s one congressman’s response to the jaw-dropping news that Trump officials discussed war plans in a group chat on the Signal app.
It’s an old military acronym meaning ‘F***ed up beyond recognition” or “…beyond repair”.
Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor in chief, reports he was accidentally added to an encrypted messaging group.
(L-R) US vice president JD Vance, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, and national security adviser Mike Waltz on 13 March. Pic: Reuters
The conversation appeared to include vice president JD Vance, defence secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
They were discussing highly sensitive security information relating to an impending attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“I didn’t think it could be real,” writes Goldberg, “… then the bombs started falling”.
A fighter plane takes off for an operation against the Houthis. Pic: US Centcom/Reuters
Brian Hughes, spokesman for the National Security Council, confirmed the veracity of the Signal group.
“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” he said.
“Only one word for this: FUBAR,” said Democrat representative Pat Ryan, an army veteran who sits on the armed services committee.
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The leak raises huge questions about national security, but legal experts suggest establishing the group on Signal may violate the espionage act.
Remember how often Donald Trump called for Hillary Clinton to be jailed for using a private server for emails when she was US secretary of state?
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As if that’s not enough, the online conversation appears to shed further light on the Trump administration’s abandonment of old alliances.
Vance seems to question the president’s decision to strike, writing: “I just hate bailing Europe out again.”
Hegseth replies: “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. PATHETIC.”
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Trump and his team argue that European countries benefit from US protection of shipping lanes in the Red Sea, a frequent target for attacks.
Goldberg’s initial scepticism is understandable – with participants using emojis like praying hands, the US flag, a fist and a fire, in a highly sensitive military discussion.
“Amateur hour,” said Democrat senator Ruben Gallego, a marine veteran.