House Intelligence Committee Democrats are urging Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to conduct an independent review after a journalist inadvertently added to Signal chat about a military attack, WPRI-TV reported. Ranking member Jim Himes (D-CT) sent a letter to Gabbard Monday demanding a written response.
The issue occurred because National Security Advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added an Atlantic journalist to the Signal chat with officials. They were discussing a strike on Houthi terrorists, and a recent Wall Street Journal report later noted that Israel provided the intelligence for the attack.
"The U.S. ally complained to the United States that Mr. Waltz’s texts had become public. The Wall Street Journal’s reporting, if accurate, is deeply concerning. These developments underscore the need for the intelligence community, under your leadership, to conduct a parallel inquiry into the chat," the letter from Himes and 11 other members said to Gabbard on Monday.
HPSCI Democrats are calling on the intelligence community, led by DNI Tulsi Gabbard, to conduct an independent investigation into the Signal chat in which participants discussed plans for an impending US military attack in Yemen. pic.twitter.com/RiXzESIX93
— House Intelligence Committee (@HouseIntelDems) March 31, 2025
The White House has already cleared up the matter of the group chat and moved on. "This case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.
However, the committee members believe the new information about a reaction from Israel warrants further investigation. "Since you and other intelligence community leaders testified about the group chat before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence last Wednesday, there have been new developments," the letter said.
The letter cited the Wall Street Journal's assertion that "Waltz sent texts on the Signal chain following the attack—noting the U.S. had ‘positive ID’ that the building in which the operative was located had collapsed—that may have been linked to information from that source." Himes and the undersignors noted that Israel was not happy that the information "became public."
According to the Wall Street Journal, Waltz gave specific information that was later disclosed to the public because of the Signal chat. "The first target—their top missile guy—we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it is now collapsed," Waltz had written in the chat.
However, Waltz has insisted, "No classified information was included in the thread." Waltz added that "the messages have no locations, no sources and methods, and no war plans. Foreign partners had already been notified strikes were imminent."
National security is of the utmost importance, and a blunder like this one is certainly worth investigating. However, it appears the left is hammering President Donald Trump with this story for political points.
The Hill reported that Trump called out the media for this in a post to his Truth Social on Sunday, calling their "never-ending" fascination with it "old and boring." He lauded Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) for coming to his defense.
"A GREAT job by Senator Markwayne Mullin on beating back Kristen Welker’s, and the Radical Left’s Witch Hunt, on the never ending Signal story," Trump said Mullin's response to NBC's Welker. "They just don’t stop – Over and over they go!" Trump added.
"This story and narrative is so old and boring, but only used because we are having the most successful ‘First One Hundred Presidential Days’ in the history of America, and they can’t find anything else to talk about. The Fake News Media has the lowest Approval Ratings in history, and for good reason," Trump said.
Democrats and their accomplices in the media will continue to pursue this story as long as it is politically expedient. Though serious, this mishap certainly was not as severe as they're making it out to be to rile up their anti-Trump base.
