Democrats are seeking to force the House to review the Trump administration’s use of the Signal chat app after it was used to discuss a pending airstrike on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
Acting Pentagon Inspector General Steven Stebbins is investigating the incident in which a journalist was mistakenly added to the group chat regarding the operation. Stebbins’ investigation was launched April 3 following a request by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.
But Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday introduced a resolution of inquiry to investigate the incident and subsequent reports that national security adviser Michael Waltz and other staff members used their personal email accounts to conduct official government business.
A resolution of inquiry is a House tool typically used by the minority party that seeks factual information from the executive branch but is not legally binding like a subpoena. Once introduced at the committee level, the committee has 14 legislative days to act on and report the resolution to the House or it will become eligible for a vote on the House floor.
“It has now been several weeks since National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the entire Trump leadership team jeopardized the safety of U.S. military personnel by announcing classified battle plans and attack sequencing on an unauthorized and insecure network just hours before those operations commenced,” Lynch said in a news release.
“This colossal security failure exposed U.S. fighter jets to enemy anti-aircraft positions and left U.S. Naval vessels vulnerable to drone and missile attack. Yet, no one has taken responsibility or explained how these dangerous and irresponsible security lapses occurred.
“This resolution of inquiry will allow Congress to review all the protocol breaches in order to put a stop to the slipshod and unprofessional handling of our national security and force protection responsibilities. Our sons and daughters in uniform deserve better,” Lynch said.
Waltz has admitted to inadvertently adding Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, a liberal media outlet, to the encrypted group chat that discussed the military operation. CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly told lawmakers last month that no classified information was shared in the group chat.
After The Atlantic published a transcript of the call, Hegseth posted on X:
“So, let’s me get this straight. The Atlantic released the so-called ‘war plans’ and those ‘plans’ include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information. … This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an ‘attack plan’ [as he now calls it]. Not even close.”
President Donald Trump last month told NBC News he has confidence in Waltz and Hegseth and that “I don’t fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters March 31 that the administration considers the case closed.
“As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” Leavitt said outside the White House. “This case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned. There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again, and we’re moving forward. The president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.”
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