US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under new pressure after information about the planned US military operation against the Houthis was leaked to the messaging app "Signal", the "Washington Post" reported this morning, BTA reported in its press review.
When Hegseth arrived in Hawaii on Monday, he was inundated with journalistic questions about the article in the magazine. The Atlantic, which described how he and other senior officials in US President Donald Trump's administration discussed sensitive war plans using a public communications app in violation of government security rules.
Hegseth denied sending "war plans" to colleagues before the US strike on the Houthis in Yemen this month and attacked The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally included in the discussions of sensitive information in the Signal. The minister called the journalist "liar and deeply discredited", although the White House has already confirmed the authenticity of the messages exchanged in the chat created by National Security Adviser Mike Walz.
The incident has revived concerns in the Democratic Party and among senior national security experts about Hegseth - former Fox News host, notes the Washington Post.
President Donald Trump downplayed the incident, calling it a "blunder," the French newspaper Le Monde reported.
"They (the Democrats) made a big deal out of it because they had two perfect months," he said, quoted by the publication.
Trump also shifted the blame to "experienced and well-known journalist" Goldberg, calling him a "crook," a "bad guy" for the country, and his employer, The Atlantic, a "failed magazine."
The British newspaper “The Telegraph“ draws attention to the admission of US National Security Advisor Mike Walz that he was responsible for the leak of information. Walz said that he was “embarrassed“ and takes “full responsibility“ for the incident, the publication quotes him.
He also attacked Goldberg, using the offensive epithets “lost“ and “scum of journalists“ in his address.
Walz emphasized that he does not want the editor-in-chief of “The Atlantic“ to publish the remaining messages he witnessed.
"I certainly want our discussions to remain confidential... Of course I don't want all of this to come out because these were conversations that we should be able to have in private," he said.
Waltz also said that an investigation is underway into how the journalist was mistakenly added to the chat on the “Signal“ app, notes “The Telegraph“.
The Pentagon has warned its employees not to use the encrypted messaging app “Signal“ due to technical vulnerabilities, writes the British newspaper. “Guardian“, citing information from American public radio.
According to a special Pentagon instruction sent to employees on March 18, Russian hacking groups can use vulnerabilities in “Signal“ to spy on encrypted messages, potentially targeting “persons of interest”.
The application uses end-to-end encryption for its messages and calls, but it is also “open source”, meaning anyone can see its vulnerabilities, the publication explains.
The Pentagon instruction says that “third-party messaging applications” such as “Signal“ can be used to share unclassified information, but are not allowed to be used to send “non-public” unclassified information.
Q. “The New York Times“ draws attention to the attitude of high-ranking officials towards Europe, which is revealed in the messages exchanged between them.
Trump administration officials do not hide their contempt for Europe, but it seems to be even stronger behind closed doors, the publication notes.
Discussions about a planned strike on Yemen are full of comments that present the Europeans as “geopolitical parasites“.
"I just hate saving the Europeans again", Vice President J.D. Vance is quoted as saying, arguing that strikes against the Houthis would benefit Europe much more than the United States. "I fully share your dissatisfaction with the burden on the part of Europe", responds Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "That's a shame", he notes.
The messages exchanged appear to show genuine feelings and judgments - that the Europeans are idle and that any American military action, no matter how much it is in the interests of the United States, must somehow be paid for by someone else, writes the “New York Times“.
A chat member, identified as "SM" and believed to be Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to President Trump, suggested that both Egypt and Europe compensate the United States for the operation against the Houthis. "If Europe does not reward us, then what? If the United States successfully restores freedom of navigation at a high cost, there must be additional economic gain in return", writes SM, quoted by the publication.
“New York Times“ specifies that, according to European Union officials, Brussels has not formally requested Washington for the United States to carry out strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.