Hegseth engaged in a dozen conversations via Signal, focusing on his role at the Pentagon.
In an unfolding fiasco, it seems former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wasn't so secretive after all, using the encrypted messaging app, Signal, for official Pentagon business, much more than previously suspected. Sounds juicy, huh? Well, let's dive in!
According to insiderources blabbing to European Pravda and The Wall Street Journal, Austin wasn't just your average Jane using Signal to plan her shopping or catch up with mates. Nah, this boy was running sensitive, non-classified operations left, right, and center on the app!
These sources have dropped some tantalizing tidbits about Austin's Signal shenanigans: he tasked his minions to inform foreign governments about upcoming military operations, discussed media appearances, foreign trips, his schedule, and other juicy deets. Apparently, he even created multiple chat groups, sending messages from his work phone and personal smartphone alike. Some messages were even posted on his behalf by his military assistant, Marine Corps Colonel Ricky Buria, who had access to Austin's personal phone.
And, buckle up friends, because it gets even juicier – Buria shared info about the planned U.S. strike on the Houthis in Yemen in a Signal chat with Austin's wife, brother, and private attorney. Oh boy!
So, instead of utilizing the Pentagon's extensive communication infrastructure, Austin decided to manage the daily grind of the defense department through Signal. He added his security detail, personal office staff, the deputy secretary's office, and public affairs reps to the chats. To read messages, employees had to leave their workstations and find a spot in the Pentagon with mobile coverage, which is about as stable as a drunken goat on ice.
Now, some media outlets have suggested that Hegseth, not Austin, was the one sharing details of the Yemeni Houthis attack on Signal, amidst a low number of dismissals in the Pentagon due to info leaks. But, don't hold your breath waiting for the real tea, homies! The Pentagon has denied this nugget.
And, this drama went down during the same time frame as the scandalous "Signal-gate" scandal involving Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security advisor, who was also involved in this mess. Flynn eventually resigned, but his removal was overlooked by Trump, who believes Austin should hang on to his defense secretary gig.
To top it all off, Vice President Mike Pence supports Trump's decision to nominate Flynn for the position of UN ambassador and denies that this is a way to punish the ex-advisor. Huh, sounds like a soap opera, doesn't it?
In the reality TV show that is Washington, DC, the use of personal messaging apps for official business can raise serious questions. Austin's Signal "I can do what I want" attitude brings security concerns, breaches of protocol, and doubts about transparency and accountability to the forefront. But, with limited information at our disposal, it's hard to say if Austin's antics fit the bill. So folks, let's wait and see what happens next in this never-ending cliffhanger!
- The Secretarial Shenanigans involving Lloyd Austin's use of Signal extend beyond personal communications, touching on business matters, politics, and general news, as reported by European Pravda and The Wall Street Journal.
- Austin's Signal chats, which included sensitive, non-classified information, encompassed discussions about military operations, media appearances, foreign trips, schedules, and other important details.
- The use of Signal for official Pentagon business by Lloyd Austin, while engaging staff members and external contacts, raises concerns about security, protocol breaches, transparency, and accountability in the realm of finance, business, and politics.
