Trump and intelligence chiefs play down Signal group chat leak
US President Donald Trump and his intelligence chiefs have played down a security breach that saw a journalist invited into a Signal group chat where he reported seeing national security officials plan airstrikes in Yemen.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe denied at a Senate hearing that any classified information was shared in the message chain.
But Democrats on the panel rebuked the cabinet members as “incompetent” with national security.
Over at the White House, Trump was joined by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who was at the centre of the leak. The president stood by him and insisted the incident did not affect the military operation.
The revelation has sent shockwaves through Washington, prompting a lawsuit and questions about why high-ranking officials discussed such sensitive matters on a potentially vulnerable civilian app.
Courtesy: BBC