Senior officials within the Democratic Party have called for the resignation of U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after he sent war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a Signal group chat. Trump's top national security officials revealed their disdain for Europe in a highly classified group chat that was leaked when a journalist was accidentally added to the conversation.
The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, reported on Monday that the leaked material "contained operational details about planned strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons that the U.S. would deploy, and the order of attacks."
The U.S. National Security Council stated that the "chain of texts appears to be authentic."
Two hours after Goldberg received the details of the attack, the U.S. launched a wave of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. This revelation, with its clear implications for national security, has sent shockwaves through diplomatic and political circles, with many calling for an investigation into how the breach occurred, while others are demanding disciplinary action.
The chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, led the calls for Hegseth's resignation, urging him to "get a severance package" if he doesn't step down. In his statement, Martin condemned Hegseth as "unfit to lead the Department of Defense, even before he jeopardized our national security." He added, "Hegseth should resign, and if he doesn't, he should be fired. It is abundantly clear that our men and women in uniform deserve better – and that our national security cannot be entrusted to Hegseth's incompetent and unqualified hands."
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the leak of classified information from the secure system "absolutely outrageous and a shock to the conscience," and added that it shows that Americans are increasingly angry "about the elevation of reckless and mediocre individuals, including the Secretary of Defense." In his statement, Jeffries urged Republicans in the House of Representatives to join Democrats in a "swift, serious, and thorough investigation of this unacceptable and irresponsible breach of national security." Separately, Jeffries told reporters that Hegseth "must be the most incompetent person ever to lead the Pentagon in American history."
U.S. officials in leaked chat lashed out at Europe: "Pathetic European free-loading."
Trump's top national security officials revealed their disdain for Europe in a highly classified group chat, which was leaked when a journalist was accidentally added to the conversation. "I fully share your disgust with European free-loading. It's pathetic," wrote Secretary Hegseth in the chat, which was intended to be a confidential group of heavy hitters in Trump's national security apparatus.
The content of the chat, which included Secretary Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Michael Waltz, Trump's national security advisor, was leaked to the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who likely entered the discussion by mistake.
In a chat, which the U.S. National Security Council has described as "likely authentic," the group discussed planned strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, which were launched a few hours later.
In addition to highly classified operational information about the strikes, the chat also revealed a disdain for Europe held by Vance, a sentiment he had previously expressed during his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
In the leaked conversation, conducted on the Signal app, which is not authorized for classified official communications, Vance stated how much he detested "repeatedly bailing out Europe" and argued that strikes against the Houthis and the subsequent opening of trade routes would be most beneficial to Europe.
"Three percent of U.S. trade goes through the Suez Canal. Forty percent of European trade goes through it. There's a real risk that the public doesn't understand this and doesn't grasp why it's necessary," the U.S. Vice President said at the beginning of the discussion.
"I'm not sure if the President realizes how much this contradicts his current message to Europe," Vance continued, arguing that the strikes against the Houthis should be delayed by a month.
Later in the conversation, Waltz criticized the limited capabilities of European naval forces.
"It's going to have to be the United States that reopens these sea lanes. At the President's request, we are working with the Department of Defense and the State Department to determine how to structure the costs associated with this and bill it to the Europeans," Trump's National Security Advisor stated.
Hegseth responded with: "I fully share your disdain for European free-riding. It's pathetic."
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