Whiskeyleaks Signal Scandal Worsens For Trump

[Argent Stonecutter]

Back when I was doing IT, the C-suite guys and high level sales managers always demanded and usually got exceptions to the rules.

Now what kind of people were on that call?

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

By the way this whole thing violates:

1. The federal records act, because federal agents are forbidden to use systems, which are deleting messages automatically
2. since JD Vance was in the Presidential Records Act as well and
3. its a betrayal of secrets.

Reality Winner, who disclosed in 2016 1 (!) NSA report about Russian interference in the election then was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months of federal prison.

So normally all people involved into that chat should be jailed for decades.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

A former White House official said that while many in the government use Signal for convenience, this incident can only be summed up as “complete amateur hour”, and that Hegseth’s over-sharing would have resulted in immediate security-clearance revocation in previous administrations.

“I would have lost my clearance,” the official said. “I mean, these guys won’t lose their clearances, because no one fucking cares about anything anymore, but if I would have done this, I would have been investigated, and I would have lost my clearance.”

Link to Guardian article

 

[Free]

"I mean, these guys won’t lose their clearances, because no one fucking cares about anything anymore"

They care about covering their asses, and pissing on anyone who is not in their little fascist club. But yeah.

* Points to The Guardian for not ****ing out the bad word.

 

[Cindy Claveau]

 

[Beebo Brink]

Europe's response to the Signal chat controversy reflects a major shift in transatlantic ties - CBS News

I can't believe anyone still needs to ask this question:

In the British Parliament, the Signal group chat controversy prompted a hard question on Wednesday for the U.K. leader from opposition lawmaker Ed Davey: Can Britain still trust America with its secrets?

What does it take to understand that the answer is "no"? No, no, no.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

Marjorie Taylor Greene reacts to a British journalist asking her about it

I pray I live long enough to see her utterly and completely humiliated into total irrelevance. I hope TFG's administration turns her constituents against her to the point that they seek retribution.

Until then, I'm going to do my best to tune her olympic level assholery out, listening to her spikes my blood pressure. It's not healthy.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

More like:

 

[Free]

'Moving on!' Frustrated CNN host takes shot as Republican tries to dismiss Signal scandal

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, tried to steer a interview with CNN's Boris Sanchez away from the big story of the day — whether there should be consequences for the war plan chat about an airstrike on Yemen with top defense officials that...

www.rawstory.com

"We have been five minutes in this. Your hit is around seven or eight. I would like to spend the rest of the time of this hit talking about other things that are a little bit more consequential for the country." Why don't we talk about immigration?" she asked.

Sanchez asked, "Is that sufficient accountability to you to recognize that someone made a mistake and moving on?"

"Boris, I gave you the soundbite already, I just told you!" Salazar asserted.

When Sanchez finally let Salazar know that he was switching topics, she declared, "Thank you! Yes!"

"Yes, I imagine it may be a relief for you not to face questions about this Signal conversation," Sanchez shot back.

 

[detrius]

More like:

I love how quote-worthy that movie is.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Pete Hegseth has a Russian mail address - why?

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

Not having a public record of conversations is actually a design goal of Signal.

 

[Noodles]

Not having a public record of conversations is actually a design goal of Signal.

Not that anything will come of it, but we should collectively, as America, FOIA the records around this.

Because they are required to keep records. You know, the ones that no longer exist, because of Signal, which they should not be using.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Signal, the CIA's wokest deepest state chat app

I know no one cares about opsec and privacy anymore, but bear with me…because I feel like I gotta comment on this given that I have such a long history with Signal and the whole gross, spooky world that underpins it.

www.nefariousrussians.com

Evernote Link

 

[Free]

Signal, the CIA's wokest deepest state chat app

I know no one cares about opsec and privacy anymore, but bear with me…because I feel like I gotta comment on this given that I have such a long history with Signal and the whole gross, spooky world that underpins it.

www.nefariousrussians.com

My second point is larger. It has to do with the fact that the entire internet runs on buggy code — on programs that are full of holes, constantly interfacing with other programs and systems that are also full of holes. I studied computer science at UC Berkeley a bit. I know how to program…even worked as an intern at a startup in my day. I know how this stuff works. And there are always lots of holes. The more complex a system, the more holes it has. And these holes are being watched more than all the holes on OnlyFans.

Agreed, and also for that last bit.

 

[Free]

Hilary Clinton has poked her head up on the NYT opinion pages, which could mean 6 more weeks of winter. Or the sun turns into a red giant in a few days. I'm not sure which.

Hillary Clinton: How Much Dumber Will This Get? (archive.today link)

It’s not the hypocrisy that bothers me; it’s the stupidity. We’re all shocked — shocked! — that President Trump and his team don’t actually care about protecting classified information or federal record retention laws. But we knew that already. What’s much worse is that top Trump administration officials put our troops in jeopardy by sharing military plans on a commercial messaging app and unwittingly invited a journalist into the chat. That’s dangerous. And it’s just dumb.

This is the latest in a string of self-inflicted wounds by the new administration that are squandering America’s strength and threatening our national security. Firing hundreds of federal workers charged with protecting our nation’s nuclear weapons is also dumb. So is shutting down efforts to fight pandemics just as a deadly Ebola outbreak is spreading in Africa. It makes no sense to purge talented generals, diplomats and spies at a time when rivals like China and Russia are trying to expand their global reach.

The closing bit:

If there’s a grand strategy at work here, I don’t know what it is. Maybe Mr. Trump wants to return to 19th-century spheres of influence. Maybe he’s just driven by personal grudges and is in way over his head. As a businessman, he bankrupted his Atlantic City casinos. Now he’s gambling with the national security of the United States. If this continues, a group chat foul will be the least of our concerns, and all the fist and flag emojis in the world won’t save us.

 

[Essence Lumin]

If there’s a grand strategy at work here, I don’t know what it is.

Well sorry, but duh Hillary. He wants to dismantle the country's legal system and be king of it and the world. Goodbye anything resembling checks and balances or anything that doesn't represent money or power for him. How successful he will be remains to be seen but it isn't looking good.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

 

[Cristiano]

So it turns out that there were at least 20 group chats like this one. It was not a one off “mistake”.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/02/waltzs-team-set-up-at-least-20-signal-group-chats-for-crises-across-the-world-00266845