DC Debrief: Signalgate

A journalist from The Atlantic was mistakenly included in a Signal group text discussing an ongoing military operation in Yemen. The situation, dubbed "Signalgate," has sparked controversy and debate in Washington due to the scale of the political fallout.

Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin strongly supports the Trump administration, echoing their insistence that there was no wrongdoing on the part of the national security or military officials involved. The Trump administration claims that Signal is approved for some government use, but not for classified information.

Administration officials argue that the information contained within the chats was sensitive, but not classified--thus making its presence in the chat acceptable.

Senator Lankford initially affirmed this sentiment, claiming that the conversation was appropriate to be held on Signal due to the lack of classified details. However, after the Atlantic published the full conversation, Lankford revised his stance, saying that some details should not have been included.

Critics question whether sensitive military discussions should take place on an encrypted commercial app, regardless of the journalist's presence in the chat.

Alex Cameron does not think that any of Oklahoma's representatives believe Hegseth should resign, instead saying that officials should learn from this mistake in order to prevent similar issues in the future.

Related:

1. Top Trump officials included The Atlantic editor in group chat about plans to bomb Yemen
2. Atlantic reporter group chat with defense leaders: U.S. Senator James Lankford, other lawmakers react