Top Trump Intel Officials Admit They Don’t Know Basic DOD Rules on Classified Info
A Senate hearing got awkward on Tuesday when top intelligence officials from Donald Trump’s administration admitted they weren’t familiar with a key Department of Defense policy on handling classified information.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) grilled Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and former CIA Director John Ratcliffe about a bombshell Atlantic report. The report exposed a Signal group chat where then-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly shared classified war plans while a journalist was in the chat.
Kelly pressed Gabbard and Ratcliffe on whether the chat revealed any military targets in Yemen or details about weapons. Then he dropped a key question: Were they aware that DOD policy bans even Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) from being discussed on unsecured devices like Signal?
Gabbard admitted, “I haven’t read that policy.”
Ratcliffe added, “Not familiar with it,” but insisted that the Secretary of Defense has the authority to decide what counts as classified.
Kelly then pointed out that CUI includes any government info not meant for public release and asked if the leaked Signal messages should have been made public. Gabbard dodged, saying it was just a private conversation between national security leaders.
When Kelly pressed for a straight “yes or no,” she refused to answer.
It’s a pretty shocking admission key intelligence officials who had access to sensitive war plans weren’t even aware of basic security policies. No wonder this Signal chat is causing such a stir.
Lost in the Files? Trump’s Intelligence Officials Admit Gaps in Classified Intel Rules
