Trump, Officials Blame Lower-Level Employee for Signal Chat Leak

Donald Trump has attributed a security breach involving a Signal group chat, where sensitive U.S. military operations in Yemen were discussed, to a 'lower-level' employee of National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. During a Newsmax interview, Trump speculated that the journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently added to the chat by someone from Waltz's team. Waltz had previously acknowledged his responsibility for the incident, stating it was embarrassing and that an investigation would be conducted. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, testified that no classified information was shared in the chat, although concerns were raised about the propriety of discussing sensitive operations on a civilian app. The controversy has sparked criticism from Democrats, who labeled the handling of national security discussions as incompetent. The incident raises serious questions about the protocols surrounding classified communications within the government.