The Trump Presidency 2.0

Out of any real context from that message from the SECDEF, I don't really know who is doing what to whom and where. I honestly was thinking Goldberg was gonna show some legit CONOPs or something, but instead he just mentions the info being in their high-side emails and then provides some mission updates. Something that journalists in the past would have been privy to with an embargo on when they could share. Not knowing who was in that chat is the biggest mistake and definitely amateur hour. But I'd say retrain on the OPSEC violation and move on.

Also, we've been using Signal as a primary comms platform for a very long time. Especially since Wickr went away.
CNN has a good roll-up of the text chain. The who is definitely in there. The aggregation is certainly worth considering, too.

Annotating the Trump administration's Yemen war plans from their Signal group chat
 
Which explicitly states Signal is not authorized.

Despite the spillage, more and more how this happened and how it was handled is the bigger deal. Clean on OPSEC...wow.

Great example of Shadow IT because provided systems suck.. but that's a DOD policy for the down and in, not for the up and out. Was it an OPSEC violation or spillage. I say really neither because it wouldn't even pass as a legit BUB. All I know are some F-18s did a thing in the CENTCOM AOR. Context suggests Yemen and Houthis, but that doesn't really help. Also some behind the scene discussions on policies.

If it's spillage, meaning actually classified and would do serious damage to National Security, than anyone here that has read it on their personal computers are more in violation, and let's hope you don't read it on NIPR or AVD. Also if classified, who do you think had OCA for it, if not the SECDEF.

I'm not really a fan of ms Loomer, but the more that comes out about Waltz's staffer that added Goldberg to the chat the more bizarre this gets. I usually like saying "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence," but maybe there was actual malice here?
 
@GOTWA thanks for that roll up dude, I really appreciate it.

@Florida173 I am pretty close to your camp on this one. I think with all things considered, it's an issue that needs a strong response and I don't care if anyone uses their jobs over it.

Do I think it's a mountain made from a molehill? Also yes, but that's the game. It's a misstep your adversary is gonna capitalize on, from a political strategy standpoint I am sure I'd feel more aggressive about it in the inverse.
 
So where are we collectively on sedition charges for Goldberg, the signalgate reporter? He burned a CIA dude and published national secrets (if I am reading the assessments correctly).

Seems like a slam dunk.

I thought he kept the CIA operative out of it?
The one Ratcliffe said was His Cheif of Staff, not a currently serving operative.

to the broader sedition charges; it feels like a catch-22 for the administration.
Squaring the circle of "it's no big deal, but also this guy publishing it was leaking national secrets" is a tall order because of how it's been handled so far.

They had a chance to control the narrative like @GOTWA suggested but blew it.

IMO going after Goldberg just gives the story even more legs and makes it a bigger deal.
 
So where are we collectively on sedition charges for Goldberg, the signalgate reporter? He burned a CIA dude and published national secrets (if I am reading the assessments correctly).

Seems like a slam dunk.

It's an interesting scenario, really. You have Hegseth and crew that are adamant that it was nothing, so you can't go after the guy for posting nothing. They'll look like real assholes if they admit that it really wasn't nothing. Then you have the other side that says it's absolutely something, in which case homeboy needs some punishment. However, he posted it based off the response from Hegseth and crew, so can he be held responsible? Probably not.

Now, you want to talk about this whole Mike Waltz aide thing...whew.

In the famous words of @amlove21, I love this timeline.
 
It's an interesting scenario, really. You have Hegseth and crew that are adamant that it was nothing, so you can't go after the guy for posting nothing. They'll look like real assholes if they admit that it really wasn't nothing. Then you have the other side that says it's absolutely something, in which case homeboy needs some punishment. However, he posted it based off the response from Hegseth and crew, so can he be held responsible? Probably not.

Now, you want to talk about this whole Mike Waltz aide thing...whew.

In the famous words of @amlove21, I love this timeline.

I will expect everyone that viewed this highly classified material to self report to their SSOs for viewing the spillage... /s
 
I thought he kept the CIA operative out of it?
The one Ratcliffe said was His Cheif of Staff, not a currently serving operative.

to the broader sedition charges; it feels like a catch-22 for the administration.
Squaring the circle of "it's no big deal, but also this guy publishing it was leaking national secrets" is a tall order because of how it's been handled so far.

They had a chance to control the narrative like @GOTWA suggested but blew it.

IMO going after Goldberg just gives the story even more legs and makes it a bigger deal.
Wait wait wait. Was this the crime everyone here is making it out to be or no?

We are talking about calling for the SECDEF to step down over it.

This isn’t an optics question- lots of folks here have said outright this was a crime, spillage- ok so the reporters gotta catch charges then.
 
Wait wait wait. Was this the crime everyone here is making it out to be or no?

We are talking about calling for the SECDEF to step down over it.

This isn’t an optics question- lots of folks here have said outright this was a crime, spillage- ok so the reporters gotta catch charges then.

I have said this from the beginning: if this information was classified, then the reporter/editor/whomever should be arrested and charged with these crimes. And until he isn't, then I guess it was not classified, since he wasn't arrested and charged. Can't have it both ways.

Boom....logic, bitches...
 
I have said this from the beginning: if this information was classified, then the reporter/editor/whomever should be arrested and charged with these crimes. And until he isn't, then I guess it was not classified, since he wasn't arrested and charged. Can't have it both ways.

Boom....logic, bitches...
The reporter published (what I’m told) is 100% secret, and protected, and an OPSEC violation. It could have cost American lives.

I’ve been consistent on this one- right when it broke I said “I hope it’s real and I hope people get fired.”

You can’t hold both positions at once. It was either a breach of national security of the highest order or it wasn’t.

Charge Goldberg immediately.
 
Wait wait wait. Was this the crime everyone here is making it out to be or no?

We are talking about calling for the SECDEF to step down over it.

This isn’t an optics question- lots of folks here have said outright this was a crime, spillage- ok so the reporters gotta catch charges then.

I'm not disagreeing with you. Like I've said before, I'm not super spun up on what appropriate legal actions look like, so the question of charges is out of my lane.
If Goldberg published info that should have been classified, then Waltz and Hegseth need to get fried.
If Waltz and Hegseth did nothing wrong, then Goldberg hasn't published national secrets.

It's the idea that they did nothing wrong but Goldberg needs jailed that doesn't sit right with me.

@amlove21 once again I'm typing as you respond lol.
 
I'm not disagreeing with you. Like I've said before, I'm not super spun up on what appropriate legal actions look like, so the question of charges is out of my lane.
If Goldberg published info that should have been classified, then Waltz and Hegseth need to get fried.
If Waltz and Hegseth did nothing wrong, then Goldberg hasn't published national secrets.

It's the idea that they did nothing wrong but Goldberg needs jailed that doesn't sit right with me.

@amlove21 once again I'm typing as you respond lol.
Who is saying they did nothing wrong?
 
This thing is really starting to piss me the fuck off.

Not that it happened. Mistakes happen, we're all human. But it's not that hard. It's actually not hard at all, a very easy algorithm: did someone fuck up? Yes/No. No? Done. Yes? Find out who and select appropriate punitive measures, whatever that looks like.

But each party just wants to obfuscate, double-down, and deflect.

Christ on a cracker.

I'm going to get my port flushed and pick up my pre-chemo meds now....
 
@amlove21 this board has been consistent that it's either classified info or not, and that actions should be taken for all parties involved based on that.

This isn't true across some other places I also lurk/comment which want to smash one side or the other based on the political base of the commenters. That's the mindset i disagree with.

I'm over here with you:
You can’t hold both positions at once. It was either a breach of national security of the highest order or it wasn’t.
 
This thing is really starting to piss me the fuck off.

Not that it happened. Mistakes happen, we're all human. But it's not that hard. It's actually not hard at all, a very easy algorithm: did someone fuck up? Yes/No. No? Done. Yes? Find out who and select appropriate punitive measures, whatever that looks like.

But each party just wants to obfuscate, double-down, and deflect.

Christ on a cracker.

I'm going to get my port flushed and pick up my pre-chemo meds now....

If we're throwing Waltz and Hegseth in prison, Hillary and Biden go first. But the Democrats have been consistent with Hillary and Biden as doing nothing wrong.

None of these fruitcakes have a leg to stand on, so let's move along. Lol
 
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