Va. Sen. Warner blasts Trump admin's intelligence officials over leaked war plans scandal

(WSET) — A day after The Atlantic broke a story about U.S. defense leaders accidentally adding a journalist to a group chat where war plans were discussed, Virginia Senator Mark Warner used a committee hearing to voice his concerns.

On Monday, the Trump administration confirmed that a civilian journalist had accidentally been the recipient of sensitive information. That journalist was Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Goldberg's story details how he had been added to a group on the encrypted messaging app Signal alongside members named "JD Vance," “Pete Hegseth” and “Michael Waltz.” The following texts included information about plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen.

The story instantly exploded on the internet, with many leaders across the country criticizing the security breach. Among them was Virginia Senator Mark Warner, whose position as co-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee put him in front of Trump administration intelligence leaders during a hearing on Tuesday. The scheduled hearing, part of the Intelligence Committee’s annual Worldwide Threats Assessment hearing, was not focused on the leaked war plans scandal, but Warner took plenty of time during his opening remarks to address the issue.

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Warner started by saying two of the witnesses set to speak before the hearing were reportedly members of the group chat and that "highly sensitive and likely classified information" were discussed within the group.

"Putting aside for a moment that classified information should never be discussed over an unclassified system, it's also just mind boggling to me that all these senior folks were on this line and nobody bothered to even check, security hygiene 101... 'Who are all the names [in the group chat?' 'Who are they?' Well, it apparently includes a journalist," Warner said.

He went on to defend The Atlantic's Jeff Goldberg's decision to not publish the entirety of the texts from the chat. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attacked Goldberg, calling him a "deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist." Warner criticized Hegseth's disparaging comments, saying Goldberg displayed ethics in the situation.

Then Warner leveled his sights on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who Warner said is responsible for keeping American secrets safe.

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"I can just say this," Warner said. "If this was the case of a military officer, or an intelligence officer, and they had this kind of behavior, they would be fired."

Warner said "sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior" reflected in the situation is not a one-time error but a systematic issue with the administration. He listed what he said were reckless choices made by President Trump's administration. Canceling U.S. foreign assistance, the firings of FBI agents, the firings of staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration, the terminations of employees at the CDC and NIH--all these decisions, Warner said, are indicative of a pattern, not an exception.

"This pattern of an amazing, cavalier attitude towards classified information is reckless and sloppy," he said.

Warner focused on how decisions about foreign policy can save or take American lives.

"Treating our allies like adversaries, whether it's threats to take over Greenland or over the Panama Canal, a destructive trade war with Canada, or literally threatening to kick Canada out of the Five Eyes, I feel our credibility is being enormously undermined with our allies, who I believe, and I think most of us on this committee, regardless of party believes, makes our country safer and stronger," Warner said.

Warner closed his introductory comments by saying he is worried about the United States losing trust not just from within the country but outside it, among American allies and friends.

"Make no mistake, these actions make America less safe," he said.