WASHINGTON: Tulsi Gabbard declined to confirm whether leaked military details in a Signal chat should have been classified.
During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Independent Sen. Angus King pressed Gabbard on potential security concerns.
The Atlantic reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive military details in the group chat.
Gabbard insisted that no classified intelligence was shared but avoided answering whether attack plans should have been classified.
She suggested that the secretary of defense and National Security Council were better suited to answer classification concerns.
Debate Over Secrecy
King challenged Gabbard’s claim that attack details, including targets and timing, were not classified.
He urged her to release the entire text stream to allow the public to see the conversation’s full context.
The Atlantic withheld some messages due to their sensitive nature, raising further questions about the chat’s security.
King questioned how military plans could be considered unclassified, given their potential impact on national security.
Gabbard stood by her statement that the chat did not contain classified intelligence but did not elaborate further.
Transparency Push
The hearing intensified calls for greater transparency regarding the administration’s handling of classified information.
Lawmakers worry the leak could compromise military operations and diplomatic relations with allies.
Some officials argue that classification rules are flexible and depend on the discretion of high-ranking leaders.
Security experts warn that even unclassified information can be dangerous if shared improperly in insecure platforms.
The controversy has led to renewed scrutiny of how U.S. officials communicate sensitive military details.
Political Fallout
The Biden administration has yet to respond to calls for an independent review of the Signal chat’s contents.
Critics argue that national security protocols must be strengthened to prevent similar leaks in the future.
Some lawmakers believe that an FBI investigation is necessary to determine if laws were broken.
Others claim that the officials involved had the authority to determine the classification level of the information.
The debate continues over whether the Trump administration mishandled sensitive military details in the Signal chat.
Next Steps
Sen. King’s request for full disclosure of the chat messages remains unanswered by intelligence officials.
The controversy may lead to legislative efforts to tighten rules on secure communication for top officials.
Security analysts stress the need for stronger protocols to prevent future leaks of military plans.
Gabbard’s response has only fueled further debate on how classified data should be handled.
For now, questions remain over whether the leaked information posed a serious security risk.
