The War Chat Leak Was Dumb But Pete Hegseth's Denials Are Dumber
The recent war chat leak, which revealed details of a recent bombing mission sent from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to head editor of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, has got to be one of the funniest White House fuckups of all time. Instead of admitting that they messed up, however, Hegseth and his government allies have conjured up a series of increasingly ludicrous arguments in an attempt to justify what happened.
A Series of Increasingly Ludicrous Arguments
At first glance, it seems like a straightforward case of a government official breaching security protocols by sharing classified information with a journalist. But no, Hegseth and his allies have decided to get creative with their excuses. They claim that The Atlantic's second story showed that Hegseth hadn't released any "war plans," which implies that Goldberg was some sort of fabulist.
Pete Hegseth took to X to make this argument, claiming that the lack of names, targets, locations, units, routes, sources, and methods in the leaked chat prove that Goldberg had never seen a war plan or an "attack plan" (as he now calls it). It's a bizarre attempt to justify the breach of security protocols.
The Sophisticated Linguistic Analysis
Hegseth's linguistic analysis of the difference between "war" and "attack" is particularly cringe-worthy. Apparently, a military "attack" with bombs isn't an act of warfare, which suggests that Hegseth thinks he's being some sort of clever wordplay expert.
Meanwhile, his supporters claim that Hegseth, as chief of the DoD, is ultimately responsible for what is classified and what isn't, and that the information shared with a prominent journalist didn't rise to the level of government secrets. It's an attempt to shift blame away from Hegseth and onto Goldberg.
The Media Faux Pas
Rightwing influencers like Ian Miles Cheong have made up excuses for the incident, claiming that The Atlantic's coverage was too aggressive and that Goldberg should have been more careful. However, it's clear that they're trying to deflect attention away from Hegseth's role in breaching security protocols.
The Investigation
The government has now put together a team to understand how Goldberg was added to the group chat. The team includes Michael Waltz, national security advisor, who apparently added Goldberg to the chat, despite the fact that the screenshots of the messages released by The Atlantic have been verified as authentic.
The White House has also tasked Elon Musk's DOGE team with probing what happened. Because, why not?
The Fallout
Other participants in the chat fiasco were put on blast during a House Intelligence Committee hearing. Most notably, the new Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, continued to answer questions about the incident and did not come off as particularly well-suited to her role.
Gabbard revealed that she has a shocking bad memory for a person who is now tasked with overseeing the entire U.S. intelligence community. During one particular back-and-forth with Congressman Jim Himes (D-Connecticut), Gabbard admitted that she didn't recall specific details of what was included in the chat.
The Conclusion
In conclusion, Pete Hegseth's denials are indeed dumber than the war chat leak itself. The White House's attempts to justify the breach of security protocols have been laughable, and it's clear that they're trying to deflect attention away from Hegseth's role in the incident.
The government's investigation into how Goldberg was added to the group chat is a good start, but it needs to get to the bottom of what really happened. Until then, we'll be left wondering about the incompetence of those involved and the lack of accountability for their actions.