Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Donald Trump focused on airstrikes in Yemen, not on leaking chats.
President Donald Trump has downplayed the recent signal chat leak as a “witch hunt,” and has called the encrypted messaging app “flawed” as his administration struggles to contain fallout without evidence.
When asked by a reporter on Wednesday if his administration should take more responsibility for chat leaks, Trump replied. [has] I’ve upgraded. I think it’s a witch hunt. I wasn’t involved in it. I wasn’t there. ”
On Monday, the Trump administration confirmed that Atlantic journalists were mistakenly included in secret chats about future attacks on Yemen’s Hoosis.
Following widespread criticism from House Democrats, some Republican senators are now calling for an investigation into the scandal, raising concerns about political fallout if not addressed properly.
Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he and Sen. Jack Reed, the committee’s top Democrat, will write to the Trump administration, requesting a quick inspector’s general investigation into the use of signal messaging apps.
They are also looking for a classified briefing of officials from the best administration “who actually have facts and can speak on behalf of the administration,” Wicker said.
“The information recently published seems to me of a very sensitive nature, and based on my knowledge, I would have wanted to classify it,” he added.
When asked about the inspector general’s call for an investigation, Trump replied, “I don’t care.”
In 2014, Hillary Clinton, secretary of state under President Barack Obama, was accused by Republicans of communicating using a private email server.
It became one of the biggest story points of the 2016 presidential election, with Clinton being accused of undermining national security. She was defeated by Trump.
The mistake to compromise
Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg published an article on Monday explaining the surprising perceptions added to a group chat with Vice President JD Vance and other Defense Secretaries and others about Yemen’s plans to engage in military strikes.
The White House said the information shared through the signal was not classified. This said it strains the credibility of the tension, considering Democrats include a sensitive US military plan against Yemen’s Houtis.
Sen. Mark Warner, a top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Email Committee, said the Trump administration’s position as bets can be explained by the term “Baloney.”
There is no indication that the controversy will soon go away for Trump.
At the same time, he made it clear that the team prefers to discuss such operations in person and in a safer setting, but it is not yet clear whether the changes will be implemented as a result.
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