Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and U.S. Air Force Lt. General and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Jeffrey Kruse attended a House Intelligence Committee hearing about worldwide threats on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 26. (Reuters/Leah Millis)
In messages published Wednesday, The Atlantic quoted Hegseth as saying in the Signal group text chat "TEAM UPDATE: TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch. 1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package). 1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)," Hegseth apparently wrote in a screenshot of a text message released Wednesday by The Atlantic.
"1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package). 1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets). 1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched," Hegseth reportedly continued, before adding "we are currently clean on OPSEC [operational security]" and "Godspeed to our Warriors."
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard vowed during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday that there was "no classified material" in the messages.
"My answer yesterday was based on my recollection, or the lack thereof on the details that were posted there. What was shared today reflects the fact that I was not directly involved with that part of the signal chat and replied at the end, reflecting the effects, the very brief effects that the national security advisor had shared," Gabbard said Wednesday when asked about the matter.
"So it's your testimony that less than two weeks ago, you were on a Signal chat that had all of this information about F-18s and MQ-9 Reapers and targets on strike. And you, in that two-week period, simply forgot that that was there. That's your testimony?" Ranking Member Jim Himes, D-Conn., asked her.
TRUMP TEAM’S SIGNAL CHAT LEAK SPARKS DEBATE OVER SECURE COMMUNICATIONS
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, left, is one of many Democrats calling for President Trump to fire Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, right. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
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"There can be no fixes. There can be no corrections until there is accountability. And I'm calling on the administration to move forward with accountability," Crow said.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ratcliffe-says-new-signal-texts-show-he-did-not-transmit-classified-information