Congress
Signalgate has made its way into Democratic fundraising emails
Top Democrats are seizing on Signalgate in campaign fundraising appeals — highlighting how the party hopes the fallout of the national security issue can resonate beyond Washington.
The news that top Trump administration officials discussed a planned attack on Houthi rebels in a Signal chat that accidentally included an Atlantic journalist has rocked national security circles, with some top Democrats calling for the resignations of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Democrats have pointed to the sequence of events as an example of the Trump administration’s incompetence — and the potential consequences for the military and broader U.S. security — but it is less clear how the issue will resonate beyond Washington. The new fundraising messages indicate Democrats believe it will at least energize its base of online donors.
“Do you feel safe under the Trump administration?” asked an email from the campaign of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday, which featured the headline of The Atlantic article and called it one of the Trump administration’s “most egregious and dangerous actions yet.”
“This is amateur hour. We’re damn lucky the pilots on that mission and the sailors and marines on ships offshore didn’t make the ultimate sacrifice that day. The Trump Administration’s carelessness and incompetence put their lives at risk,” said a Tuesday email from the campaign of Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), which included a link to a petition calling on Hegseth to resign.
An email from Justice Democrats, a progressive group, said the Trump administration was “out here talking about unconstitutional war plans via a texting app called Signal” while criticizing the strikes on Yemen and Trump’s broader agenda.
The White House acknowledged this week that the texts were legitimate but has largely defended the officials involved in the group chat.
The real enemy? The Atlantic journalist who published the story, whom Waltz called “the bottom scum of journalists” in an interview on Fox News on Tuesday.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is in the Capitol meeting with holdout GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiania as he tries to lock down their support for his confirmation as permanent leader of the Justice Department.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) declined to respond directly Wednesday to Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to denounce his former son-in-law Rep. Max Miller over abuse accusations leveled by Moreno’s daughter: “These aren’t accusations in my world,” he said.
“In my world, this is the reality,” Moreno told reporters at the Capitol. “This is not something that is theoretical to me. This is my lived reality of my daughter and my family every single solitary day.”
In an interview with Dasha Burns for Blue Light News’s The Conversation, Johnson declined to take sides in the dispute between Miller (R-Ohio) and Emily Moreno. He called for a House Ethics probe to “play out.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s expected choice for Army chief of staff faces resistance that could imperil his confirmation, according to the chair of the panel that needs to approve it.
Senate Armed Services head Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said Wednesday that he was aware of “some opposition within the committee” to acting Army chief of staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve taking the job on a permanent basis.
LaNeve, previously Hegseth’s senior military aide, was confirmed as Army vice chief of staff in January. But he has also served as acting chief of staff since April when Hegseth forced out popular Gen. Randy George, a move that drew widespread criticism from lawmakers in both parties.
Wicker said he was “not able to predict right now” if lawmakers could address concerns about LaNeve. He did not specify whether the concerns were raised by Republicans, but GOP resistance is likely given that nominees could advance through the committee on a party-line vote.
LaNeve has only held the position of four-star general for six months, an anomaly for the the senior most Army officer.
The Wall Street Journal first reported about Republican opposition to LaNeve, citing Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) concerns about his lack of experience at the four-star rank.
Ernst, in an interview, did not dispute that she was the source of the holdup. But she called it a moot point as President Donald Trump has not yet formally nominated LaNeve to the position. And she disputed reports that LaNeve’s lack of experience was the sticking point.
“I don’t think that time and grade has anything to do with leadership ability, so I don’t know how that came about, honestly.” she said. “That’s not what I’ve told anyone.”
If the opposition continues, Trump could decide to leave LeNeve in the acting position indefinitely.
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