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Trump floats new theory about ‘Signal scandal’, shifts blame for war plans leak on ‘somebody that was…’
Donald Trump has brought a new twist to ‘The Signal scandal’, which has raised greater concerns about the US national security.
Donald Trump has brought a new twist to ‘The Signal scandal’, which has raised greater concerns about the US national security, with top government officials facing intense grilling during the Senate hearing.
In an interview with Newsmax on Tuesday night, Trump blamed an unnamed, “lower level” White House employee who works for his national security advisor Michael Waltz for a significant security blunder in which information on US military strikes in Yemen was leaked to a journalist via a private group chat.
Trump floated new theory regarding how Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, got into the Signal group chat where the top US officials discussed the war plans.
“What it was, we believe, is somebody that was on the line with permission, somebody that was with Mike Waltz, worked for Mike Waltz at a lower level, had, I guess, Goldberg's number or called through the app, and somehow this guy ended up on the call,” the 47 President said.
Trump provided an explanation following a Fox News interview in which Waltz accepted “full responsibility” for granting Goldberg access to the conversations.
“I take full responsibility. I built the group,” he asserted.
Also Read: ‘The Signal scandal’; Is it legal to use messaging app within US govt agency? Know how safe it is
Pentagon asks officials to stop using app
Meanwhile, the Pentagon asked officials to stop using the app, even if they are delivering unclassified information, as it poses a “vulnerability.”
“A vulnerability has been identified in the Signal messenger application,” the March 18 bulletin stated, according to NPR.
“Russian professional hacking groups are employing the 'linked devices' feature to spy on encrypted conversations,” the notice stated.
It further mentioned that Google had discovered Russian hackers who are attempting to target “Signal Messenger to spy on persons of interest.”
Did US officials leak classified information?
In his interview with Newsmax, Trump reiterated his administration's claims that no secret information was exchanged in the group conversation.
“No it wasn't classified, as I understand it. There was no classified information,” he claimed.
