Gabbard Discusses Group Text Message During Hearing
The Senate Intelligence hearing many Democrats had anticipated as a political goldmine turned out to be little more than a dry well. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, faced with an aggressive line of questioning from Senator Mark Warner, managed to deflate the tension with a calm, unequivocal response: no classified information was shared.
The backdrop for the hearing was a messaging mishap involving a Signal group chat that included various members of the national security team—and accidentally, Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg.
Warner, seizing on the optics of a journalist in a chat about potential military action, sought to frame it as a lapse in security protocol. Yet, when pressed, Gabbard made it crystal clear that nothing confidential had been disclosed. Warner’s response? He interrupted her, repeatedly, pressing not for clarity but for headlines.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard:
There was no classified materials that was shared in that Signal chat.pic.twitter.com/cI5mlFooBS
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 25, 2025
It was a performance—loud, insistent, but ultimately hollow. Warner did not receive the dramatic revelation he appeared to expect. What he did receive was a firm, consistent explanation that undermined the narrative Democrats hoped to build.
Then came CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who offered critical context that further eroded any claims of impropriety. Signal, he explained, isn’t some rogue app operating in the shadows of the intelligence community. It’s a standard-issue communication tool. Ratcliffe was matter-of-fact: Signal was on his desk on day one at Langley. Its use is not only approved—it’s routine. The platform’s encrypted messaging makes it a logical choice for secure coordination, a fact not lost on anyone familiar with modern intelligence work.
🚨CIA Director Ratcliffe: “One of the things that I was briefed on very early was the use of Signal as a permissible work use!” pic.twitter.com/lA8VPU8lQU
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 25, 2025
Even President Trump chimed in, defending National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. According to Trump, the inclusion of Goldberg in the chat was an error by a staffer—not Waltz himself—and had zero operational consequences. “The only glitch in two months,” Trump called it, and one that didn’t rise to the level of resignation or reprimand.
The real story here? A minor mishap, quickly corrected and devoid of damage. What could have been a smoking gun turned out to be a false alarm, with neither classified information leaked nor military plans compromised.