NPR’s Ailsa Chang spoke with Senator Mark Warner of Virginia regarding a recent Senate inquiry involving U.S. intelligence leaders. The inquiry followed a report by The Atlantic, which revealed that high-ranking national security officials from the Trump administration had shared military plans to bomb Yemen in a Signal messaging app group chat that included a journalist. It is noteworthy that NPR’s CEO, Katherine Maher, is the chair of the board of the Signal Foundation, which operates the Signal app.
During the Senate hearing, Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff criticized the actions as highly unprofessional, noting a lack of apology or acknowledgment of the seriousness of the incident. Mark Warner, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, described the situation as astonishing. However, it was observed that Republican senators appeared uninterested in addressing the Signal incident. Warner noted that despite the lack of vocal support from Republicans, he believed they shared concerns over the issue, evident in their silence during the discussions.
Warner explained that Signal, while a good encrypted application, is not a secure means for transmitting classified information. He highlighted the risks posed by unintentional inclusion of a journalist in such discussions and suggested that information about military actions such as the planned bombing, if prematurely disclosed, could be valuable to adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran.
Despite claims by the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, that no classified material was shared, the discussions included sensitive information such as names of CIA officers and military strategies. Warner emphasized the critical security lapse, noting that a similar mistake by military personnel would typically result in job termination.
Warner expressed a commitment to bipartisan cooperation within the Intelligence Committee to ensure oversight and accountability regarding the incident. He mentioned past errors by the administration, including the accidental release of names of CIA agents and the regular leaks of classified information.
The conversation between Ailsa Chang and Senator Mark Warner concluded with Warner reiterating the seriousness of the issue and the need for responsible handling of sensitive information.
