Some people just don't understand how to keep secrets; how not to stay secure, and blame it on technology.
"I was 100% convinced this is fake…on my phone was information that only maybe four or five people should know."
—jeffrey Goldberg interview
Apocalypse in the sense of a revelation, or uncovering. From the Greek. This is serious, indict them as Tulsi Gabbard suggested; this is more serious than farting in church!
The background to this is the revelation that the Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg had been added to a group of people discussing imminent military actions in the Yemen. They were using the encrypted messaging app, Signal Messenger, a piece of software I know, trust and have been using for years. To hear Donald Trump blaming the software and saying there was nothing sensitive released, frankly made me feel ill. Other people referring to the inclusion of a press editor as an accident is equally stupid. in order to include someone on a secure group chat, one has to specifically invite them; one does not simply walk into a secure chat on Signal. Donald Trump has defended his national security adviser Michael Waltz, whom Goldberg said invited him into the group. Trump has proved himself incapable of identifying the importance of American secrets (let's not forget he deliberately hid stolen classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and may well have shared some with others, which he effectively got away with).
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, and John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, both of whom were also in the group, coincidentally appeared on Tuesday before the Senate intelligence committee for an annual hearing on threats facing the United States, which Democrats used to accuse them of failing to protect sensitive details of US military operations. Let's not forget that it was Gabbard who called for the prosecution of leakers of classified information in a Tweet that has now gone viral. i wonder what she'd say if she and the rest of this motley crew were hauled into court for this embarrassingly shoddy OPSEC.
Signal Messenger is not to blame here; it's a human error. Deflect and gaslight all you will, but Someone(Waltz made a huge cock-up in inviting a member of the press (not just any old journo, but the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic!) into a secure group chat discussing imminent military plans. It's been interesting to watch people wriggling to try to find or make excuses for this appalling breach of security, although this just in: Mike Waltz has assumed responsibility for inviting Goldberg into the chat. Gabbard on the other hand, wriggled and gaslit everyone during an intelligence hearing; Senator Mark Warner stated "if this was not classified, share the texts". she won't accept any responsibility, only seek to deflect.
No apologies to any Trump apologists, but this is simply inexcusable. It may have been an honest mistake at first, but i know how this software works; if i am starting a group chat, i take great care to ensure that I'm inviting the right people, and i am not discussing anything even a tenth of one percent as important as the USA's military matters. These people are stupid, pure and simple, and should not be allowed anywhere near anything as critical as military secrets. Jeffrey Goldberg says that initially he assumed he was the victim of a prank, because he does understand how Signal works, and he's smart.¹ I'd have thought that Hegseth, a former journalist, even a Fox News "journalist" would know better how Signal works. If you're upset that I'm calling people dumb, listen to the interview with Goldberg, linked below. in it he outlines how he was invited, how he felt, what was discussed. it's significant that in his account, Goldberg said that he removed sensitive material from the account, including the identity of a senior CIA officer and current operational details, demonstrating greater care than Waltz and Gabbard et al.. Trump and his cronies may seek to downplay this leak, but they are either hopelessly ignorant and wrong, or liars.
Will Republicans rise in outrage? Given that they're still bleating about Hilary Clinton's controversial hosting of an email server for government business, they bloody well should. It's not like this group farted in church, they shared secrets with someone not entitled to hear them. Watch this space. The repercussions of this could be huge. Part of my guess is that some of the Five Eyes signatories will be more reticent about sharing intelligence with people who've proved themselves unworthy. Again, time alone will tell.
¹ Goldberg interview
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