‘Signalgate’ Exposes Hypocrisy At Highest Level
The investigation will focus on Secretary of Defense
Pete Hegseth’s use of the app, rather than secure government channels, to discuss detailed information about a military strike
Trump has said Waltz, who added Goldberg to the Signal group, “learned a lesson.” Waltz himself echoed the idea that there had been “lessons learned” when
he appeared on Fox News, and admitted: “We made a mistake.” He also said, “We’re not going to use Signal anymore.”
Trump and his allies in the
Republican Party are known for loudly clamoring for probes — and punishment — when it comes to the handling, or alleged mishandling, of sensitive information by their perceived enemies. In 2016, a cornerstone of Trump’s presidential campaign was going after opponent Hillary Clinton for her use of a personal email server while she was secretary of state.
Liz Hempowicz, deputy executive director of American Oversight, said the whole ordeal also appears to be a “textbook case of what the Espionage Act was written to prevent.”
The
Espionage Act makes unauthorized retention or distribution of sensitive information illegal and is punishable by fines and imprisonment of up to 10 years.
“If a junior enlisted service member had leaked strike plans to unauthorized recipients, they’d already be in custody,” Hempowicz said. “But when it’s a Cabinet official, the White House shrugs — and history suggests that will be the end of it.”
Alaina Kupec, a retired U.S. Naval Intelligence Officer with experience planning strategic missions in Yemen and Iran, said her time in the military taught her that the type of information Hegseth disclosed is generally only shared on a strict “need-to-know basis” in order to protect the mission. Not everyone on the Signal chat, especially aides (not to mention Goldberg, who apparently no one realized was in the group), would need to know the precise timing of strikes, she said.
“Had that been me, as a junior officer who did that, my career would have been over and I would have been prosecuted. Without question,” she said.
“There’s always a double standard for those that are in higher authority. They have the political connections and capacity to excuse themselves and wash away their sins. The White House considers this case closed on their part but this is why we have a separation of powers. [The White House] should not be the final arbiters of what’s legal or not,”
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