Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke for the first time on Wednesday about the signal chat controversy, admitting that “someone made a big mistake” when Atlantic journalists were added to the signal text chain, which includes Washington's top national security officer.
“This was set for coordination purposes,” Rubio told reporters in Jamaican. The points of text exchanges made in encrypted messaging applications were purely aware of how the authorities communicate with various counterparts.
However, the revelation that potentially categorized information was exchanged at sites targeted by Russian hackers and that the chain included editors from the Atlantic, sent shockwaves globally, but the Pentagon claims that intelligence classified in the message was not exchanged.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the left will hold a joint press conference with Prime Minister Andrew Holness in Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday. (Nathan Howard/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Obviously someone made a mistake. Someone made a big mistake and added a journalist,” Rubio said. “There's nothing to journalists, but you're not expected to be involved in it.”
“I contributed twice to it. I identified my contact information. This was my chief of staff and then congratulated the members of the team three hours after the official White House announcement was made,” he continued.
Rubio said the information was not technically classified and that it “threatening the operation of military life at any point” was “not intended to be leaked,” but the White House was investigating the issue.
President Donald Trump downplayed the seriousness of the lapse, noting that his administration faced with NBC News as “the only glitch in two months” that he faced with NBC News.
National security adviser Mike Waltz, who reportedly set up a text chain and accidentally added an Atlantic editor, said he took “full responsibility” for the “embarrassing” disaster of Fox News.
Similarly, on Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the House Intelligence Committee that it was “a mistake” to include reporters in a text group containing “candid and sensitive” information.
She also testified before the senator on Tuesday, claiming that the text did not contain classified information.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (left) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegses will be seen at the White House in Washington, D.C. on February 24th. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
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The debate between the Atlantic report and the White House broke out after the Trump administration and the Pentagon said no “war plan” information was shared.
The waltz in a tweet on Wednesday said, “There is no place. There is no source or way. There is no war plan. Foreign partners have already been notified that a strike is imminent.”
The Atlantic claims that the text contained a “plan of attack.”
“Team Update: Now (1144et): The weather is good. Checked on Centcom. We are Go for the mission launch. 1215et: F-18s (1st Strike package). Wednesday. Atlantic Ocean.
“1410: Other F-18 launches (second strike package). 1415: Target Strike drone (this is when the first bomb is definitely falling, and the previous “trigger-based” target is put on hold).
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However, Rubio worked with other administration officials to release information that the leaders were classified and pointed out the Pentagon's assessment of whether they made it very clear. [the texts] At the time, no one's life or mission was put at risk. ”
“There was no intelligence information,” Rubio added.
