"The only gaffe in two months" – How Trump downplays the chat glitch

Astrid Lund - Betty MacDonald fan club organizer: "These unprofessional, incompetent and populist amateurs are a major threat to the U.S. and the world!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORLD "The only gaffe in two months" – How Trump downplays the chat glitch 2 hours • 2 minutes reading time Not so bad? US President Donald Trump and his administration are trying to dismiss the accidentally shared plans for airstrikes in Yemen as a minor glitch. They are also attacking the journalist who made the incident public. US President Donald has dismissed the accidental sharing of US military attack plans in a chat group with a journalist as a "gaffe." Trump said in an interview with US broadcaster NBC on Tuesday that it was "the only gaffe in two months" for his administration that turned out to be "not serious." National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, who was apparently responsible for the glitch, had "learned a lesson," Trump continued. Waltz, according to Goldberg's account, invited Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, to a group on the messaging service Signal, where Waltz, among others, discussed concrete plans for an attack on the Yemeni Houthi militia. Goldberg made the incident public in an article on Monday. The White House also responded with reassurances. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wrote on the platform X that no classified information had been shared, nor had "war plans" been discussed. She accused Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, of being known for "sensationalist statements." According to Leavitt, senior government officials had received clear guidelines on how to communicate as securely and efficiently as possible on various platforms. The government is currently investigating how Goldberg's phone number was accidentally added to the group chat. Previously, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, Brian Hughes, confirmed that the chat history Goldberg had reported was most likely authentic and announced an internal review. Leavit now sought to reframe the incident politically: The strike against the Houthi militia in Yemen was "successful and effective" thanks to the "strong and decisive leadership" of US President Donald Trump, she explained. The crucial point was that "terrorists were killed." According to the Houthis, at least 53 people were killed in the US airstrikes in mid-March. This information cannot be independently verified. Security and legal experts consider the incident highly sensitive. They speak of a "negligent" and "appalling" handling of security-relevant information. Strict regulations apply to this in the US. This applies even more to concrete plans for military operations abroad. According to the Atlantic, the use of the Signal app is generally not permitted within the government for the exchange of confidential or classified content. Security Committee summons leaders The incident is therefore also concerning the US Congress. FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard were scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday about threats to the US and answer pressing questions about the security breach. They were then scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.