A Show-and-Tell in the Groupchat from Hell
- Ahsan Suhail
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
On March 24, an editor for the Atlantic was inadvertently added to a group chat containing high-profile Trump Administration officials. The group chat, most likely titled “The Boys 🗿,” sent highly sensitive intelligence material regarding the ongoing US intervention in Yemen. Soon, the unexpected guest found himself in the room where it happened, as the officials began sending each other coordinates for upcoming attacks and openly engaging in strategic discussions.
In the immediate aftermath of these conversations being revealed, Waltz, following a conversation with tech oligarch and chainsaw-enthusiast Elon Musk, assured the public that “we've got the best technical minds looking at how this happened.” Somehow, that didn’t feel very assuring, though.
With the leak of their private discussions, it has become increasingly apparent that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is unfit for his position. Moreover, it is a grave indicator regarding the competence—or lack thereof—of our highest bureaucrats. Despite these colossal failures in safeguarding sensitive topics, this recent development must not be used to normalize security shortcomings.
Undoubtedly, the blame for this intelligence failure falls on Pete Hegseth, the Trump-appointed Secretary of Defense. Beyond pushing the biological boundaries of blood alcohol levels, Hegseth has notably pushed for a rebirth of the American military. Actively seeking to return to a bygone era emphasizing strength, he has undertaken a series of controversial measures, not limited to mandating the same fitness tests for men and women and spending millions on deportation flights. Cultivating a public image based on machismo, surely it would be impossible to make such a dumbfounding error as adding an esteemed journalist to a group chat containing sensitive intelligence?
Unfortunately for us all, he made that dumbfounding error, and it is a scary indication of where our administration is at.
With RFK Jr. fresh off cocaine, Hegseth going on a bender, and Kristi Noem showing off her dog-slaying party tricks, Trump’s cabinet meetings are certainly the place to be on a Saturday night. The baffling combination of addiction, assault, and arrogance that not only characterizes Hegseth is applicable to the Trump cabinet as a whole. A medley of the worst human instincts are present in the cabinet meetings, and this absurd bureaucratic failure is simply the beginning. Carelessness regarding communication at the White House is not unheard of, but it should never be normalized.
The irony of this incident is definitely not lost on Washington insiders. Notably, about 15 years prior, Hillary Clinton—the email lady—faced a battle for political survival due to her having used a private server to discuss sensitive information. After a series of congressional hearings and character assassination attempts, Clinton was able to weather the storm; however, the negative coverage had consequential impacts on her public image during her subsequent presidential run.
Though some may be tempted to argue that her treatment was too harsh in comparison with this recent incident, it is imperative that we recognize that incidents such as these deserve every bit of scrutiny they earn. The takeaway shouldn’t be that Clinton's scrutiny was unwarranted but rather that Hegseth should be held to the same standard—he should be put through the ringer in the same way Clinton was. After all, if one of us made such a mistake on a grand scale as this in our personal jobs, we would be fired. Shouldn't we expect more—not less—accountability from our government?
As we gain more and more insight into the inner workings of the Trump administration, so do our opponents. With incompetent officials and catastrophic failures such as this, we are losing international respect and our sensitive strategies in the same stride.
Photo Credit:
[Header]: Slate
[Embedded 1]: The Straits Times
[Embedded 2]: Politico Magazine
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