Washington is struggling with growing group cats: from the political bureau

Welcome to the online version of Political officeAn evening newsletter that brings you the latest report and analysis of the NBC News Policy team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign campaign.

In today’s edition, we dive into the latest spin -offs and reaction after the Atlantic published the transcription of a group cat between Trump administration officials who revealed sensitive information on military strikes in Yemen. In addition, Andrea Mitchell explains how the episode underlines a brutal gap of previous administrations on national security and intelligence issues.

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– Adam Wollner

Washington is struggling with growing group cats

The repercussions of a group cat in which the officials of the Trump administration discussed the sensitive military plans which inadvertently included a journalist continued to dominate Washington on Wednesday.

Here are the latest reports of our team:

Published cat transcription: The Atlantic published a full transcription messages, in which the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Specified types of American military aircraft and the time of recent air strikes against Houthi militias in Yemen. The texts did not include information on specific targets.

Trump officials react: The director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, said that the textual cat of the Disclosed group was an error, but reiterated her assertion that no classified information was shared on the channel as she testified before the Intelligence Committee of the Chamber on Wednesday. Presenting Tuesday before the senatorial intelligence committee, Gabbard and the director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, both said that no classified material had been shared in the cat.

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt strengthened the latest report from the Atlantic during a briefing.

“We have always said that no classified material was sent to this messaging thread,” she said. “There was no location, no source or methods were revealed, and no war plans were discussed.”

Former officials react: Information on an upcoming American military attack on an opponent is generally considered to be classified, according to at least four former national security and intelligence officials who have dealt with legal issues.

The former civil servants did not know anything specific to the state of information in the Signal cat, but they said that it would be difficult to imagine a scenario in which the details of the military operations would not be treated as secret and damaging if they were disclosed.

Legislators react: The incident caused intense criticism from Democratic legislators, some of whom called for Hegseth’s resignation and Trump’s national security advisor Michael Waltz.

Sense. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., And Jack Reed, Dr.I., President and classification member of the Armed Services Committee, respectively, said that they would ask for a report from the “accelerated” general about the issue. Wicker also said that he would ask for a classified administration briefing for committee members.

Asked directly if he believed that the information discussed in the cat is – or should be – classified, Wicker replied: “The published information seems to me recently of such sensitive nature that, on the basis of my knowledge, I would like to classify.”

The representative Don Bacon, R-Neb., A retired general of the Air Force, refuted the assertion of the administration that the text chain did not include “classified” or “war plans”.

“The White House is in the denial that it was not classified or sensitive data,” said Bacon. “They should simply recognize themselves and preserve credibility.”

Explanteer: The signal is not infallible, although it is one of the most secure encrypted cat applicationsBy Kevin Necklier

The signal cat highlights a net gap in the US national security standard

Analysis by Andrea Mitchell

There is nothing normal on this subject. For most national security experts outside the Trump orbit, complete text messages The published Atlantic Strengthens only their indignation to discuss the Houthi operation on signal, an application available in the trade that the Pentagon recently warned actively targeted by “groups of threats aligned by Russia”.

The widespread anger and disbelief about all of this have been amplified by the distinctions The Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and senior intelligence officials are between “war” plans and “attacks” plans. This has also expanded to the testimony of the National Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that the information in the texts was not classified.

But the treatment of intelligence by the Trump team in this case raises wider questions. Why did these conversations take place by SMS rather than in the situation room – which is equipped to safely bring the members of the team not on site? Or in the information on sensitive compartmentalization installations (or specific), the government is organized to members of the national security firm in their homes? Wouldn’t that create a better environment for more in -depth discussions on such an important military operation – the biggest to this day of the new administration to try to protect international navigation in a critical sea path against Houthis terrorists?

Where was the discussion on the Iranian reaction possible or how to inform the Israelis? If you have to hire Europeans? Perhaps if they had been opposite Hegseth struck, writing: “VP: I fully share your reluctance of European free load. It’s pathetic. ” The message fueled the growing anger of European administration leaders.

What is also striking is the virtual high -filing of the team via emojis – a fist bump, a flame, a bent biceps. Meanwhile, when Gabbard was questioned during a conference hearing on Wednesday about his republication on his personal account X of a contributor to the media of the State of Russia, she said: “I maintain my rights to the first amendment to be able to express my own personal opinions on various questions.”

All this underlines how this is a significant difference in the way in which the previous administrations of the two parties dealt with the problems of national security and intelligence.

That knowing others of the Trump presidency today

• Trump said he was Impose a 25% rate On all cars entering the United States.
• A Federal Court of Appeal denied the administration’s offer To raise the ordinance of a judge, to prohibit him with the use of the invocation by Trump of the law on extraterrestrial enemies to expel people who are members of the Venezuelan gang.
• Trump signed a scanning decree Try a major overhaul of the American elections, forcing people to prove their citizenship when they register to vote.
• Federal employees of several government agencies have deposited a Collective remedy Against the Trump administration, saying that he illegally dismissed employees for Dei’s activities.
• In remarks during an event in the month in the history of women in the White House, Trump said that he would be known as “Chairman of fertilization. “”

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It’s all of the political bureau for the moment. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

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