Senior Democratic Party officials have called for the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he sent war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to the group chat room Signal. Trump's top national security officials revealed their disdain for Europe in a top-secret group chat that was leaked when a journalist was accidentally added to the conversation.
Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg said Monday that the shared material "contained operational details of the planned strikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, including information on targets, the weapons the U.S. would deploy, and the order of attacks."
The U.S. National Security Council said the string of texts "seems authentic".
Two hours after Goldberg received details of the attack on 15 March, the US launched a wave of air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. This revelation, with clear national security implications, caused shock in diplomatic and political circles, with many calling for an investigation into how the misconduct occurred, while others called for disciplinary action.
Chairman of the Democratic Party National Committee Ken Martin led calls for Hegseth's resignation and called for him to be "fired" if he did not leave. In his statement, Martin denounced Hegseth as "unfit to lead the Department of Defense before he threatened our national security." "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 left in Hegseth's incompetent and unqualified hands," Martin added.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the leak of the unclassified system "absolutely outrageous and shocking to the conscience," adding that it shows Americans are increasingly upset "about the elevation of unscrupulous and mediocre individuals, including the secretary of defense." In his statement, Jeffries called on Republicans in the House of Representatives to join Democrats "in a swift, serious and substantive investigation into 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."
US officials hit out at Europe in leaked chat: "Poor European free-loading"
Trump's top national security officials revealed their contempt for Europe in a top secret group chatthat was leaked when a journalist was accidentally added to the conversation. "I fully share your opposition to European free loading. It's pathetic." - That's how Secretary Hegseth described the contingent in a chat that was supposed to be a confidential group made up of the Trump administration's national security heavyweights.
Content of the chat - attended by Minister Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Michael Waltz, Trump's national security adviser - leaked to the editor of The Atlantic magazine, who probably got into the debate by mistake.
In the chat, which the US National Security Council described as "apparently authentic", the group discussed planned strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen that were launched hours later.
In addition to top secret operational information about the strikes, the chat also revealed the US disdain for Europe, which Vance first expressed during his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
In a leaked conversation conducted on Signal, which is not allowed for classified official conversations, Vance stated how much he hates "redeeming Europe again" and argued that strikes on the Houthis and the subsequent unblocking of trade routes would benefit Europe the most.
"Three per cent of US trade goes through Suez. 40 % of European trade passes through it. There is a real risk that the public does not understand this and does not understand why it is necessary," said the US Vice President at the beginning of the debate.
"I'm not sure the president realizes how much this is at odds with his current message to Europe," Vance continued, arguing that the strikes on the Houthis should be postponed for a month.
Later in the interview, Waltz criticized the limited capabilities of European naval forces.
"It will 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 compile the costs associated with this and assess them to the Europeans," said Trump's national security adviser.
Hegseth responded by saying: "I fully share your opposition to European free loading. It is pathetic."
euronews/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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