U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, along with 13 other senators, has addressed a letter to President Donald Trump concerning the use of an unsecured group chat by senior administration officials for military planning. The group chat reportedly included a reporter and was used to coordinate military strikes in Yemen, raising concerns about security protocol violations.
The letter highlights the involvement of high-ranking officials such as the Vice President and the Secretary of Defense in using the Signal messaging application for discussions that should have been kept secure. The inclusion of a reporter in these conversations is seen as a significant breach of protocol.
"We are gravely concerned by appalling reports that senior officials of your Administration...coordinated military strikes in Yemen over the commercial and unclassified messaging application Signal," wrote the senators. They expressed further concern about "the fact that a reporter was included on the same Signal chat."
The senators criticized what they described as "an astonishingly cavalier approach to national security" and pointed out that messages were set to disappear, which they claim violates the Presidential Records Act.
The letter demands answers regarding disciplinary actions against those involved, potential risks posed to servicemembers, and whether adversaries like China, Russia, or Iran accessed any sensitive information from this group chat. It also calls for compliance with record-keeping laws and additional training for handling classified information.
Senator Hirono's colleagues who signed the letter include Senators Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, Tammy Duckworth, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley, Gary C. Peters, Jacky Rosen, Brian Schatz, Jeanne Shaheen, Elissa Slotkin, Chris Van Hollen, and Elizabeth Warren.
The full text of their communication outlines specific questions directed at President Trump regarding remedial actions taken following this disclosure and requests confirmation on several points related to national security breaches.