KQED's Forum Fallout from Leaked Signal Chat Intensifies
Mar 27, 2025
Eric Schmitt, a senior national security correspondent for the New York Times, and Garrett Graff, a journalist and historian, dive into a staggering intelligence breach involving a leaked Signal chat among U.S. military officials. They discuss the fallout from sharing sensitive attack plans over unsecured channels and the implications for national security. The conversation also touches on the accountability lapses within the Trump administration, the potential risks to international alliances, and the ethical concerns surrounding military responses in a tumultuous geopolitical landscape.
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Accidental Inclusion
- Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to an unsecured Signal group chat.
- The chat included senior national security officials discussing plans to attack Yemen.
Bypassing Secure Channels
- Secure communication channels exist for officials but were bypassed.
- Officials have access to secure facilities and devices, raising concerns about why a commercial app was used.
Multiple Scandals
- The Signal leak involves several scandals: leaking sensitive info, evading the Federal Records Act, and using an unsecured app.
- Mike Walls changed Signal settings to delete messages, possibly to avoid record-keeping laws.