FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, appear during a Senate Committee on Intelligence hearing on Mar. 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Ratcliffe, especially, was grilled by lawmakers over the Trump administration's use of the encrypted messaging app to exchange purported classified security information. Senators demanded to know who added Goldberg, a well-known editor and journalist, to the so-called "Houthi PC Small Group," where he remained unnoticed for several days.
Bennet asked Ratcliffe if it was his view that there was nothing wrong with the Signal thread in question, and whether he shared the view of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that the chat in question did not include any targeting information or battle sequence.
Bennet said this was in Ratcliffe's testimony, before noting, "I'm a little staggered that that is your view, Director Ratcliffe."
"Does the CIA have any rules about [the] handling of classified information?" he asked. "Yes or no?"
"Yes," Ratcliffe responded. He added that he had not previously heard of Goldberg, though he acknowledged "clearly he was added" to the Signal thread by someone in the group.
"I don't know how he was added," Ratcliffe said, before Bennet interrupted, asking, "You don't know that the president's national security advisor invited him to join the signal thread," referring to national security advisor Mike Waltz.
TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LINK
Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe prepare to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, March 25, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
The back-and-forth wrapped with a blistering remand from Bennet, who told Ratcliffe of the Signal chat: "This sloppiness, this incompetence, this disrespect for our intelligence agencies and the personnel who work for them is entirely unacceptable. It's an embarrassment," he said. "You need to do better. You need to do better."
During the hearing, other Democrats, including Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, called for Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign over the Signal chat in question.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously attempted to brush off the Signal chat, telling reporters Monday that the attacks on the Houthis discussed in the group chat "have been highly successful and effective."
"President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security advisor Mike Waltz," she said.
Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cia-director-ratcliffe-hits-back-dem-senators-group-chat-allegations-i-didnt-say-any-those-things