Democrats Demand Resignations Over Group Chat Despite No Evidence Of Classified Leaks
The Senate Intelligence Committee pressed top Trump-era officials this week over a group chat on Signal, demanding to know if secret military plans were exposed. But Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe stood firm, making clear that nothing shared in the chat violated security protocols.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) led the charge, grilling Gabbard on whether she had participated in the group and calling for the messages to be handed over. Gabbard did not say whether she was part of the chat but said the issue remained under internal review. She repeated that no classified information had been shared.
No classified material.
That is the end of the discussion. Move on Dems— Steve Brown (@J_Steve_Brown) March 25, 2025
Ratcliffe confirmed he was part of the Signal group and said its use was in line with CIA policy. He told senators that when he was confirmed as CIA director, Signal was installed on his official device and that its use had been approved by the agency’s records staff.
Goldberg, who was accidentally added to the chat, later published claims that operational information and even an agent’s identity were mentioned. But neither Gabbard nor Ratcliffe acknowledged any wrongdoing or confirmed the accuracy of his account.
Why can’t he allow them to answer? Without interruption
— Ms.G (@GSchifanelli) March 25, 2025
When Warner pressed Gabbard by referencing a past social media post in which she warned that releasing classified information would be treated as a crime, she responded that such warnings were meant to address deliberate leaks — not situations like this one. She also emphasized that none of the chat content was classified.
The controversy has led to political attacks on Pete Hegseth, who was reportedly involved in the group, with some Democrats calling for him to resign. But with no confirmed breach of security, critics argue that the outrage is being exaggerated for political reasons.
Ratcliffe said discussions about plans were authorized and conducted through appropriate tools. He repeated that Signal was widely used among CIA officers and that his use of it had been reviewed when he took office.
Despite demands from Warner and others, the contents of the chat have not been released, and no evidence has surfaced showing that classified material was leaked.