Trump Admin's Signal Group Chat Could have Given Houthis Heads Up About Attack, Retired US General Says

Retired U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey is sounding the alarms about the possible dangers the Signal group chat that was used to discuss military plans could have brought to national security. "You are also explaining to the Houthis what targets you are after," he said about the incident.

McCaffrey, a retired U.S. Army General and current news commentator, professor and business consultant who served in President Bill Clinton's Cabinet as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, went on MSNBC on Monday to discuss the "egregious" scandal in which The Atlantic's Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat in the encrypted messaging app Signal, where top administration officials were discussing classified military strategies.

"Probably the most sensitive information we have in the Armed Forces are pending military operations, and in this case, we are talking about the lives of Navy and Air Force flyers" he said.

McCaffrey explained that due to the sensitive nature of the scandal, assuming the worst case scenario is necessary. "We also ought to assume that Signal had been penetrated by many intelligence organizations to include the Russians and Iranians. So you're basically putting the lives of U.S. Service people at risk. You are also explaining to the Houthis what targets you are after, and so they can take measures to disperse or avoid the attack," he said.

"Had that been a bunch of Majors and Lieutenant Commanders coordinating an attack, they'd all get fired and probably subject to criminal prosecution," McCaffrey continued.

According to The Atlantic's story, national security adviser Michael Waltz may have violated several provisions of the Espionage Act by coordinating national-security-related action over Signal. Lawyers who spoke to the news outlet also said U.S. officials should not establish a Signal thread in the first place.

At the same time, it is likely that, by communicating in an unauthorized platform, Waltz and other officials also violated the Federal Records Act which dictates that government records should be filed and generally open to the public, the retired General explains.

Since The Atlantic's story broke on Monday afternoon, the incident has dominated both social media and news outlets alike. Congress Democrats, shocked and outraged over the apparent lapse in operational security, called for investigations, promising to raise the episodes in Tuesday's high-profile public hearing before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who were among those who participated in the group chat, are set to appear before Congress. Other officials in the text chain included national security adviser Michael Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and more.

"If these details fell into the hands of America's enemies, it could get people killed," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday on the Senate floor. "It could severely harm our military. It would put America's national security in danger."