WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following The Atlantic’s reporting of Trump Administration officials using a Signal group chat—and inadvertently including The Atlantic’s Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Golberg—to discuss sensitive military plans, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calls for the resignations of U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz:
“In a staggering set of errors, top Trump Administration officials endangered the lives of American fighter pilots and troops—and our national security.
But for the grace of God, the U.S. military operation was successful and we narrowly avoided a tragedy. The reckless mishandling of sensitive military plans via a Signal group chat presents several glaring problems.
First: National Security Advisor Mike Waltz inadvertently included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in a highly sensitive discussion.
Second: This discussion was conducted over Signal, a non-secure commercial app, to disclose top-level military plans. Using this chat for such a purpose is as baffling as it is illegal—a violation of the Presidential Records Act, the Espionage Act, and laws governing the handling of classified material.
Third: Secretary Hegseth used this unsecure pathway to share classified information on where our troops would be, when they would be there, and the weapons with which they would carry out an extremely sensitive and dangerous operation. His carelessness could have cost American soldiers their lives.
As this chatter went on with the President’s top national security team, including the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the White House Chief of Staff, no one appeared to notice or care.
Now — in a feeble attempt to cover up their failures—Trump, Hegseth, Waltz, and others on the signal chain have followed the Trump playbook: Lying. Lobbing baseless personal attacks on Jeffrey Goldberg because the facts have revealed their gross incompetence. Acting like children — and national security is not child’s play.
We need accountability. We need congressional oversight and a full investigation.
Pete Hegseth and Mike Waltz must resign immediately.”
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
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