{"id":15431,"date":"2025-03-26T06:31:22","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T06:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/"},"modified":"2025-03-26T06:31:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T06:31:22","slug":"trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">President Trump characterized an extraordinary security breach as a minor transgression on Tuesday, insisting that top administration officials had not shared any classified information as they discussed secret military plans in a group chat that included the editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cSo this was not classified,\u201d Mr. Trump said during a meeting with U.S. ambassadors at the White House. \u201cNow if it\u2019s classified information, it\u2019s probably a little bit different, but I always say, you have to learn from every experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump also stood by his national security adviser, Michael Waltz, who had inadvertently added the journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat on the Signal app, which included Vice President JD Vance and others. In the chat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information on timing, targets and weapons systems to be used in an attack on Houthi militants in Yemen, according to Mr. Goldberg.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI think it was very unfair the way they attacked Michael,\u201d the president said of Mr. Waltz.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Former national security officials said they were skeptical that the information shared by Mr. Hegseth ahead of the March 15 strike was not classified, given the life-or-death nature of the operation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The president and the secretary of defense have the ability to assert, even retroactively, that information is declassified. But officials have refused to answer questions about the specifics of the information or who, exactly, determined that it was unclassified and could be shared on Signal, an encrypted commercial app.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Hegseth denounced Mr. Goldberg late Monday, saying he had been \u201cpeddling hoaxes time and time again.\u201d But on Tuesday morning, testifying in the Senate, the nation\u2019s top two intelligence officials conceded that the exchanges released by The Atlantic were accurate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">During the meeting at the White House, as reporters peppered the president with questions about the leak, Mr. Trump repeatedly turned to Mr. Waltz to answer. Mr. Waltz tried to largely redirect the focus, lauding the strikes in Yemen and attacking Mr. Goldberg.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis one in particular, I\u2019ve never met, don\u2019t know, never communicated with,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cwe are looking into and reviewing how the heck he got into this room.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump called Mr. Goldberg a \u201csleazebag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Later on Tuesday, Mr. Waltz told the host Laura Ingraham on Fox News that \u201cI take full responsibility\u201d for the sharing of the plans, adding that he had \u201cbuilt the group\u201d and inadvertently added Mr. Goldberg to it even as he maintained that \u201cI don\u2019t text him, he\u2019s not on my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the overall response from Mr. Trump and his allies \u2014 downplaying the episode while shifting blame onto an opponent \u2014 is a timeworn practice that the administration and its chorus of supporters have deployed throughout the president\u2019s political career as they seek to deflect criticism. Mr. Trump is loath to admit mistakes, and while some Democrats called for Mr. Waltz and Mr. Hegseth to resign, the president seems wary of firing his staff. Doing so could puncture his argument that the early months of his second term have been nothing but success.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey\u2019ve made a big deal out of this because we\u2019ve had two perfect months,\u201d Mr. Trump said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Trump administration\u2019s account directly contradicted the one given in Mr. Goldberg\u2019s explosive report in The Atlantic on Monday. In his article, Mr. Goldberg <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2025\/03\/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans\/682151\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">shared some screenshots and quotes<\/a> from the group chat, but said he chose not to share the most specific information about strike plans and battle-damage assessments that could be used to harm American military and intelligence personnel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Goldberg rejected the Trump administration\u2019s assertions that no classified information was shared, saying simply: \u201cThey are wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Former national security officials who were involved in similar operations in past administrations said they were inclined to agree \u2014 even without seeing the messages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAny detail or fact about an operation, no matter how small, is going to be classified especially before the operation takes place,\u201d said Chris Meagher, who was a senior official in the Defense Department during the Biden administration. \u201cWith an operation like that, there\u2019s no possible way that acknowledging the existence of this mission was not classified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">During a contentious Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, Democrats denounced the nation\u2019s top spy chiefs, John Ratcliffe, the director of the C.I.A., and Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Both of them were included on the Signal chat in question, though Ms. Gabbard initially would not answer questions from senators about whether she had been involved. When Mr. Ratcliffe confirmed his participation, she followed his lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis sloppiness, this disrespect for our intelligence agencies is entirely unacceptable,\u201d Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, said during the hearing, which had been scheduled weeks ago for the presentation of the annual \u201cWorldwide Threat Assessment.\u201d \u201cYou need to do better.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, a Democrat who is the committee\u2019s vice chair, was visibly angry as he declared that the intelligence officials and others on the group chat had displayed \u201csloppy, careless, incompetent behavior.\u201d Senator Ron Wyden, the Oregon Democrat, suggested Mr. Hegseth and Mr. Waltz should resign. Many Democrats have resurfaced clips of Mr. Waltz and other Trump allies from nine years ago, criticizing Hillary Clinton\u2019s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump had made her handling of those internal State Department messages a major issue in his 2016 campaign, calling for criminal investigations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">During the hearing, Mr. Ratcliffe and Ms. Gabbard acknowledged the sensitivity of information about strike targets, but still insisted no sensitive information from their areas of responsibility had been shared.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Ratcliffe said it was up to Mr. Hegseth, the defense secretary, to determine what information could be shared in an unclassified chat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Even if the information was not classified, disclosing it in a nonsecure setting could still violate the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/08\/15\/us\/politics\/espionage-act-explainer-trump.html\" title=\"\">1917 Espionage Act<\/a>. Under that law, what is known as national defense information does not have to be classified for its exposure to be damaging to the country\u2019s security. The Justice Department rarely prosecutes violations that do not involve classified material, and Mr. Trump has stocked his administration with loyalists who have shown little interest in challenging him or his officials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe Atlantic story is nothing more than a section of the NatSec establishment community running the same, tired gameplay from years past,\u201d Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, posted on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He added that \u201cat every turn anti-Trump forces have tried to weaponize innocuous actions and turn them into faux outrage that Fake News outlets can use to peddle misinformation. Don\u2019t let enemies of America get away with these lies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Other top Trump officials and allies have lashed out at Mr. Goldberg as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But several Republicans have expressed concerns about Mr. Goldberg\u2019s inclusion in the chat and acknowledged that it had been a mistake. Most, however, said they wanted a full briefing before drawing any conclusions. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said his panel would look into what had happened, but provided no details.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe are definitely concerned,\u201d Mr. Wicker told reporters, adding that he and his colleagues on the committee were \u201cconsidering our options.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Goldberg\u2019s report also raised concerns about administration officials using Signal, a nonsecure messaging platform, and setting the messages to automatically delete. The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/09\/14\/us\/politics\/trump-presidential-records-act.html\" title=\"\">Presidential Records Act<\/a>, enacted in 1978, states that the government \u201cshall reserve and retain complete ownership, possession, and control of presidential records,\u201d which includes materials the president\u2019s staff create or receive in the course of their official duties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Ratcliffe said the White House and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had approved the use of Signal for senior officials, suggesting that because it is encrypted, it was more secure than ordinary phone lines. One of China\u2019s main intelligence services pierced the unencrypted networks of America\u2019s major telecommunications firms last year, giving it access to telephone calls and some texts. Officials have said the move to encourage use of Signal and other encrypted apps was part of an effort to keep China, and other adversaries, from picking up ordinary phone calls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Signal is not approved for classified conversations. Those are supposed to take place only over special, secure lines, with the callers speaking from inside a secure facility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One of Signal\u2019s security features is that users can set messages to disappear after a period of time. On Tuesday, the watchdog group American Oversight filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Washington seeking a judge\u2019s order to preserve all of the Signal messages on the group chat in question.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, pushed back against concerns about the use of Signal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe White House Counsel\u2019s Office has provided guidance on a number of different platforms for President Trump\u2019s top officials to communicate as safely and efficiently as possible,\u201d she wrote on social media, without naming them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump said he would prefer for officials to meet in person, but he defended their use of Signal and suggested the fault for what happened falls on the app, not on Mr. Waltz.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s equipment and technology that\u2019s not perfect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Reporting was contributed by <!-- -->Adam Goldman<!-- -->, <!-- -->Julian Barnes<!-- -->, <!-- -->Robert Jimison<!-- --> and <!-- -->Chris Cameron<!-- -->.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/25\/us\/politics\/trump-signal-leak-war-plans.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Trump characterized an extraordinary security breach as a minor transgression on Tuesday, insisting that top administration officials had not<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[4821,3673,961,2893,164,2352,207,3675,2350,1770,2895,208,3674,4915,4823,4822,2353,111,2349],"class_list":["post-15431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us","tag-atlantic","tag-central-intelligence-agency","tag-classified-information-and-state-secrets","tag-cybersecurity-and-infrastructure-security-agency","tag-defense-department","tag-gabbard","tag-hegseth","tag-john-lee-1965","tag-michael-1974","tag-news-and-news-media","tag-office-of-the-director-of-national-intelligence","tag-pete","tag-ratcliffe","tag-senate-committee-on-intelligence","tag-signal-open-whisper-systems","tag-the-magazine","tag-tulsi-1981","tag-united-states-politics-and-government","tag-waltz"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist - World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"President Trump characterized an extraordinary security breach as a minor transgression on Tuesday, insisting that top administration officials had not\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"News\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2\"},\"headline\":\"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/\"},\"wordCount\":1578,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Atlantic\",\"Central Intelligence Agency\",\"Classified Information and State Secrets\",\"Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency\",\"Defense Department\",\"Gabbard\",\"Hegseth\",\"John Lee (1965- )\",\"Michael (1974- )\",\"News and News Media\",\"Office of the Director of National Intelligence\",\"Pete\",\"Ratcliffe\",\"Senate Committee on Intelligence\",\"Signal (Open Whisper Systems)\",\"The (Magazine)\",\"Tulsi (1981- )\",\"United States Politics and Government\",\"Waltz\"],\"articleSection\":[\"U.S.\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/\",\"name\":\"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist - World News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1\",\"width\":1050,\"height\":550},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\",\"name\":\"World News\",\"description\":\"World News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\",\"name\":\"World News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png\",\"width\":581,\"height\":581,\"caption\":\"World News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2\",\"name\":\"News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist - World News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist - World News","og_description":"President Trump characterized an extraordinary security breach as a minor transgression on Tuesday, insisting that top administration officials had not","og_url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/","og_site_name":"World News","article_published_time":"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"News","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/"},"author":{"name":"News","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2"},"headline":"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist","datePublished":"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/"},"wordCount":1578,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1","keywords":["Atlantic","Central Intelligence Agency","Classified Information and State Secrets","Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency","Defense Department","Gabbard","Hegseth","John Lee (1965- )","Michael (1974- )","News and News Media","Office of the Director of National Intelligence","Pete","Ratcliffe","Senate Committee on Intelligence","Signal (Open Whisper Systems)","The (Magazine)","Tulsi (1981- )","United States Politics and Government","Waltz"],"articleSection":["U.S."],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/","name":"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist - World News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1","datePublished":"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-26T06:31:22+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1","width":1050,"height":550},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-downplays-signal-leak-backing-waltz-and-pointing-finger-at-journalist\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trump Downplays Signal Leak, Backing Waltz and Pointing Finger at Journalist"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/","name":"World News","description":"World News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization","name":"World News","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png","width":581,"height":581,"caption":"World News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2","name":"News","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1","medium":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1","medium_large":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=768&resize=768,0&ssl=1","large":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1","1536x1536":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1536&resize=1536,1536&ssl=1","2048x2048":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=2048&resize=2048,2048&ssl=1","colormag-highlighted-post":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=392&resize=392,272&ssl=1","colormag-featured-post-medium":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=390&resize=390,205&ssl=1","colormag-featured-post-small":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=130&resize=130,90&ssl=1","colormag-featured-image":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=800&resize=800,445&ssl=1","colormag-default-news":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1","colormag-featured-image-large":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1400&resize=1400,600&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-block-extra-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1155&resize=1155,480&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=600&resize=600,417&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-small-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=285&resize=285,450&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-medium-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=575&resize=575,198&ssl=1"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"News","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e85cf08852547781a5f631f3713dbb5197ed4b54e32ae19c7d5769b8c8504897?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"President Trump characterized an extraordinary security breach as a minor transgression on Tuesday, insisting that top administration officials had not","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["U.S."],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":23,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":8,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1050&resize=1050,550&ssl=1",1050,550,false],"medium":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1",300,300,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/25\/multimedia\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft\/25dc-trump-TOP-vlft-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1",150,150,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"News","author_link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e85cf08852547781a5f631f3713dbb5197ed4b54e32ae19c7d5769b8c8504897?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-33\">U.S.<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}