WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House on Tuesday pushed back against Democratic criticism following the leak of a private conversation among senior national security officials regarding U.S. military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
The controversy erupted after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed that he had been added to a Signal chat where high-ranking officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, discussed the strikes.
The Trump administration now faces mounting pressure, with calls for resignations intensifying. Critics argue the leak portrays a lack of discipline within the national security team. However, the White House dismissed the backlash as a politically motivated distraction, emphasizing that President Trump’s decisive actions had successfully targeted terrorists and protected U.S. military personnel.
“There is a coordinated effort to shift focus away from the successful operations conducted by President Trump and his administration to hold America’s enemies accountable,” a White House spokesperson said.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers met behind closed doors with CIA Director Ratcliffe, DNI Gabbard, and FBI Director Kash Patel to discuss security concerns. Ahead of the session, Democratic Senator Mark Warner condemned the leak, asserting that if an intelligence officer had been responsible, they would have been fired.
Pressed for answers, Gabbard maintained, “There was no classified material that was shared,” while Ratcliffe insisted that his remarks in the chat were unclassified. Warner, however, challenged officials to release the full conversation if their claims were true.
“The stakes are too high for incompetence. Pete Hegseth should resign. Mike Waltz should resign,” Warner posted on X.
At a press briefing, Democratic lawmakers echoed calls for resignations. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin labeled Hegseth “unfit to lead the Defense Department” and demanded his removal.
“Hegseth should resign, and if he doesn’t, he should be fired,” Martin declared. “Our men and women in uniform deserve better leadership.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries described the leak as “outrageous and shocking to the conscience,” accusing the administration of elevating “reckless and unqualified individuals” to critical security positions.
Despite the escalating political storm, the White House remained firm, insisting that its military actions had been a resounding success and that “nothing can overshadow the administration’s commitment to national security.”
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