Letter to the editor: Trump's Pentagon endangers troops, Brunswick Beacon

Brunswick Beacon, 04.03.25

The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was inexplicably added to a group chat on a commercial app where plans to bomb Yemen were discussed. “Signal” is vulnerable to Russian hacking. In 2023, the Defense Department prohibited its use for sharing non-public information. 

The chat included: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Vice President JD Vance, who texted, "I think we’re making a mistake. I’m not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe. There's a risk we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices."

The National Security Council (NSC) called Goldberg’s report “authentic” and is “reviewing how [Goldberg’s] number was added.” Goldberg received “precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing,” but did not report information that could damage national security.

NSC’s admission didn’t stop Hegseth from smearing Goldberg as “a deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist.” Trump said, “I don’t know anything about it.” Neither Trump’s ignorance nor NSC’s admission kept Trump from reflexively and nonsensically attacking: “I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic; to me it’s a magazine that is going out of business.” 

Fox’s Brit Hume ridiculed their attacks, saying, “Oh for God's sake, the administration has already confirmed the authenticity of the message.” Fox’s John Roberts called the security breach “a BFD,” adding, “national security was compromised” but Goldberg “acted responsibly” in not publishing the war plans “transmitted to him by Pete Hegseth the morning of the attacks.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who specialized in intelligence as an Air Force brigadier general, said, "Russia and China are monitoring their phones. Putting classified information on unclassified devices like Signal endangers our forces. There’s no excuse.”

American lives were endangered by the Trump team’s incompetence. No lives were lost because, unlike them, the reporter they attacked “acted responsibly.”   

"We dodged a bullet," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Michael P. Rush, Navy Veteran

Leland