Trump spins Signalgate as a media lapse, not a damaging security breach

The US administration believes it can divert attention until the next scandal. It may prove a winning strategy,

- Andrew Roth

When it comes to Trump-era scandals, the shameless responses to "Signalgate", which saw top administration officials discussing details of an impending strike in Yemen in a group chat without noticing the presence of a prominent journalist, should set alarm bells ringing for its brazenness and incompetence.

In a particularly jaw-dropping exchange, Tulsi Gabbard, the United States' director of national intelligence, was forced to backtrack during a house hearing after she had said that there was no specific information in the Signal chat about an impending military strike. Then, the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg published the chat in full, contradicting Gabbard's remarks that no classified data or weapons systems had been mentioned.

"My answer yesterday was based on my recollection or the lack thereof, on the details that were posted there," said Gabbard. "What was shared today reflects the fact that I was not directly involved with that part of the Signal chat."

Then there was the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, who - staring straight down the camera - baldly stated: "Nobody was texting war plans, and that's all I have to say about that."

The next day Goldberg revealed that Hegseth himself had texted the precise timing of the attacks and the weapons systems to be used, specifically F-18 jets and MQ-9 UAVs.