DNI Gabbard: “There was no classified material that was shared in that Signal chat.”
Sen. Mark Warner: “If there was no classified material share it with the committee. You can’t have it both ways. These are important jobs. This is our national security.”
During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about global threats to the United States, Senator Mark Warner asked， “Director Gabbard, did you participate in the group chat with the secretary of defense and other Trump senior officials discussing the Yemen war plans?”
Gabbard refused to answer. “Senator I don’t want to get into the specifics—” she replied, before being cut off by Warner.
The Virginia Democrat continued to press Gabbard to answer. “You were not ‘TG’ on this group chat?” he asked, referring to the Signal screen name. Gabbard continued to insist she would not “get into specifics.”
“Why aren’t you gonna get into the specifics? Is this—is it because it’s all classified?” Warner asked. “Because this is currently under review by the National Security Council,” Gabbard said.
“Because it’s all classified? If it’s not classified, share the texts now,” Warner said. Warner then turned to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who readily admitted to participating in the Signal group chat, claiming that its use was permitted under a Biden-era policy and insisted the platform was considered safe for use at the CIA, as long as the decisions made within the chat were recorded formally.
Warner moved his attention back to Gabbard, asking whether she had requested a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, to discuss the strike plans. Gabbard: “There was no classified material that was shared in that Signal chat.”
“So, if there was no classified material, share it with the committee! You can’t have it both ways! These are important jobs! This is our national security. Bobbing and weaving and trying to, you know, filibuster your answer—so please answer the question,” Warner said. “If this was a rank-and-file intelligence officer who did this kind of careless behavior, what would you do with them?”
“Senator, I’ll reiterate there was no classified material in that Signal—” Gabbard said, before being cut off.
“And if there’s no classified materials, share! And then if there’s no classified materials, then answer—you can’t even answer the question whether you were on the chat,” Warner said. He asked Gabbard what she planned to do if the information was, in fact, classified. She emphasized that there was a difference between the “inadvertent release” and “malicious leaks” of classified information, before restating that there was no classified material in the chat.
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Sen Mark Warner: You were not ‘TG’ on group chat? Why aren’t you gonna get into specifics? Gabbard: No classified info