It looks like Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg wasn't the only person that did not belong in Mike Waltz and Pete Hegseth's strategic war-plan group chat. Another outsider who had no business absorbing classified information by top U.S. military intelligence was conspiracy theorist and unconfirmed Trump-pick Joe Kent, according to Raw Story.
Kent, a twice-failed congressional candidate in Washington, is simply a Trump nominee for director of the National Counterterrorism Center and has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.
"The recklessness and incompetence of how Trump's so-called 'best and brightest' handled national security information is bad enough when they're channeling the offhanded attitude of tweeners texting about their plans for spring break," said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. "But the fact they included Joe Kent in this buffoonish behavior only magnifies their dangerous sloppiness and total disregard for intelligence since he hasn't even been confirmed by the Senate."
From Raw Story:
The group chat where Donald Trump's national security team planned military operations over the encrypted Signal app included another participant who should not have been invited. …
Kent – a former Green Beret, failed two-time GOP congressional candidate and 2020 election denier with ties to white nationalists – has been the acting chief of staff to national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, according to three sources, but his role has not been publicly announced.
Democrats have called on participants in the group, which was led by defense secretary Pete Hegseth and included vice president J.D. Vance, to resign because they used a commercially available third-party app to discuss top-secret military operations, and a government watchdog group has filed a lawsuit alleging the chat violated the Federal Records Act because the app automatically deletes messages.
Yes, those responsible for the U.S. national security breach should resign, but that is not how things work in an authoritarian dictatorship.
Previously: Today in lies from the White House: "War Plans" are not "War Plans"
