Donald Trump was obviously not briefed about the purpose of "Signal": White House is swarming with incompetence

Echo editorial board published in the Toledo, Ohio newspaper The Blade.

Donald Trump's failed Administration is spinning furiously to pretend that the security failure of a high-level discussion about a planned bombing attack in Yemen was no big deal. 💢😡

The discussion involving the secretary of defense, the vice president, and other high-level security figures allowed secret and important war plans to be disclosed to someone without high-level security clearance. That person was a journalist.

What’s inappropriate about this situation is that Trump, and just about everyone down the line, on cue, has likewise attempted to inappropriately smear that journalist, the Atlantic magazine editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz included Mr. Goldberg in a text message chain on an encrypted app called Signal. Goldberg was part of a group that received from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth detailed action plans for a U.S. military assault on Iran-backed Houthi forces firing missiles on cargo ships in the Red Sea.

Trump's first reaction to the news was not disappointment and shock that high-level classified information was carelessly bandied about on the internet, but to remark that the Atlantic is likely to go out of business, an observation that was utterly irrelevant. (Not only is the statement a gaslighting of the high level of alarm this security breach set off, but the fact is, the Atlantic is owned by Mrs. Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell Jobs, the super wealthy widow of the Apple billionaire - $14.9 billion US.)

The Atlantic is a venerated publication that has been in existence since before the Civil War. Trump also ventured the opinion, without evidence, that Signal is “defective.” (Because, Trump obviously had zero understanding about what "Signal" is.....nobody had briefed him. OMG❗)

Then, Mr. Waltz went on Fox (Fake❗)News with Laura Ingraham and strongly implied that Mr. Goldberg had somehow inserted himself into the Signal chat.

Mr. Waltz, Mr. Hegseth, and White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt then spent the next 24 hours disparaging Mr. Goldberg. Trump called him a “sleazebag.”

Mr. Goldberg is the one who alerted Trump and the rest of the White House to the fact that their chat group about a planned bombing campaign was shared with him, a fact that he kept quiet until about 10 days later.

Smearing Mr. Goldberg is a tawdry attempt to escape accountability for a national security mistake that should simply have been acknowledged as such.

Most likely, the Trump Administration is trying to deflect because of the Republican freakout nine years ago over the protocol violations of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump’s reaction to Ms. Clinton’s use of a private server at that time for classified emails was to “lock her up.” So, what now❓

It reflects negatively on this White House that its instinctive reaction to a mistake, which could have been acknowledged and corrected with fortunately little harm done, was to disparage the journalist who discovered it and acted responsibly to bring it to the government’s and the public’s attention. The response has been instructive.

This largely inexperienced new administration needs to get its act together fast.  First Published March 29, 2025, 12:01 a.m

#FirePeteHegseth❗

Clarion call to silent Republicans who do nothing to protect Americans from the evils of Trumpziism

Impeachable offenses❗ Check out my free link below to The New York Times political ad calling on Trump to resign.

Opinion letters published in The Blade, a Toledo Ohio newspaper.

If we can get just two Republican congressmen to put their country above their party, we could avoid the chaos, hate, inflation, and recession that Donald Trump is creating. “Impeachment has been used to remove government officers who abuse the power of the office; conduct themselves in a manner incompatible with the purpose and function of their office; or misuse the office for improper or personal gain.”

Trump is legitimately impeachable for the actions he has already taken. If we can’t get the Republican support now, we will certainly make them all aware of our feelings when we vote again in less than two years.

From William Poznanski in Toledo Ohio

Not feeling protected:  In the weeks since Donald Trump has taken office, our government has attacked our allies, attacked the world’s most needy and defenseless, and attacked our own citizens creating fear for our own security, economy, employment, and educational opportunities to name only a few.

And what is worse is the fact that our Republican United States senators and representatives have not just allowed Trump’s actions but supported his attacks. What are our Ohio senators and local representative Bob Latta, who claim to be (hypocritical❗) followers of Christ (Congressman Bob Latta is a Catholic), doing to protect me, my family, my neighbors, my community, and American citizens❓ Nothing❗ Our government does not work for us, it has turned against us❗

From Stuart F. Cubbon in Toledo

P.S. Maine Writer: Check out the "Trump Must Resign" letter published in a full page political add in The New York Times at the free link I created to share here.