Donald Trump’s White House says security leak fiasco is a ‘coordinated distraction’ | World | News

The White House has claimed the fiasco around the leaking of sensitive security information to a journalist is a « coordinated distraction » as President Donald Trump defends the adviser at the heart of the controversy. A statement issued earlier branded the ongoing security row a « coordinated effort to distract from the successful action by Donald Trump to make America’s enemies pay ».

In a significant security lapse revealed yesterday, senior officials from the Trump administration inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, in a Signal group chat discussing classified military operations against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Participants in the chat included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. The incident has sparked widespread criticism, with experts highlighting the risks of using non-secure communication platforms for sensitive information.

The White House statement said: « The Biden Administration sat back as a band of pirates… exacted a toll system in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. Biden’s weakness invited these unacceptable attacks—while President Trump put these terrorists on notice.

« The Trump Administration’s actions to hold the Houthis accountable has been a massive success—and nothing can distract from that unrelenting action to keep Americans safe. »

On Tuesday, during a brief interview with NBC News’ Garrett Haake, Mr Trump branded Mr Goldberg a « sleazebag », downplaying the incident as “the only glitch in two months » of his administration « and it turned out not to be a serious one ».

He added: « Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man. »

Asked how the blunder had occurred, he said: “It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday insisted in a post on X that no war plans were discussed and that “no classified material was sent to the thread ».

She stressed: « As the National Security Council stated, the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was inadvertently added to the thread. »

Speaking in Congress, Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who is responsible for overseeing of all US intelligence agencies, said: « Putting aside for a moment that classified information should never be discussed over an unclassified system.

« It’s also just mind-boggling to me that all these senior folks were on this line, and nobody bothered to even check security. Hygiene 101.

« Who are all the names? Who are they? Well, it apparently included a journalist. »

« If this was the case of a military officer or an intelligence officer, and they had this kind of behaviour, they would be fired. »

Both Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who also was a participant in the Signal exchange and also testified at Tuesday’s intelligence hearing, faced blistering criticism from lawmakers.

Mr Warner also questioned whether it was correct to claim no classified information was leaked, telling CIA director Mark Ratcliffe: « If it’s not classified, share the text with the committee. » Mr Ratcliffe did not answer.

Senaton Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, said: “This is an embarrassment. This is utterly unprofessional. There’s been no apology.

« There’s been no recognition of the gravity of this error.”

In the run-up to his 2016 election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump urged criminal prosecution of the former secretary of state for communicating about classified information with her aides on a private email server she set up.

The matter was investigated, but the FBI ultimately recommended against charges. None were ever brought.

Ms Clinton did not pass up her opportunity to pass comment, taking to X to highlight the Atlantic’s story and comment: “You have got to be kidding me. »